


Her Saltwater Queen

by Tat_Tat



Series: Steven Universe Fics in 2015 [4]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Aftercare, Alternate Universe - Human, Cuckolding, Enthusiastic Consent, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Gyms, Master/Pet, Safe Sane and Consensual, Spanking, Teacher/Student Roleplay, Threesome - F/F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-23
Updated: 2016-07-22
Packaged: 2018-03-31 20:03:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 33,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3990970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tat_Tat/pseuds/Tat_Tat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Would you call this. . .extra training?" She said with a smirk.</p><p>Jasper is a personal trainer at a fitness hotspot called The Crystal Gym and Lapis is her newest client. She gathers the courage to ask Lapis out with the pretense of "extra" training but it's not what she expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This is going to be a lot different than most of my Jasper/Lapis fics. Not only is it multi-chaptered, this is fluff AU so the two will have a healthy relationship going, and the tone will be laid back. 
> 
> To be quite honest this is going to become "Plot. What Plot" porn.

Jasper liked the smell of sweat and iron. She could feel everyone's blood pump in the Crystal Gym, synchronizing with the blood boiling in her veins, large and pronounced during a nice hard workout. 

Everyone of all shapes and sizes gathered at the Crystal Gym to improve themselves. The reasons were all different: for health, self esteem, or to bury the memory of a bad ex, but ultimately everyone worked hard for themselves. Jasper liked to see that. It was why she became a personal trainer, to pull out the potential she saw in others.

She was hard, strict, and crass. She wasn't afraid to make her clients cry, but that was what they paid her for. If they wanted someone soft, they could join Steven's Freestyle Aerobics class.

All of Jasper's clients had at one point cried under her tutelage, but later thanked her for it. Although she had made them cry, Jasper never stopped believing in her clients, encouraging them the only way she knew how-- with brutal honesty.

Lapis was one of her newer clients, and for two weeks, three days a week Lapis went to the Crystal Gym to do stretches and run laps around the the track outside, all under Jasper's raspy enthusiasm and tough training regimen. Lapis's training focused on running. She was preparing herself for a 5K in the next month. Jasper had advised her to do additional strength-building exercises to supplement her running abilities and prevent injury.

She had watched Lapis push her body, but unlike any client she ever had, Lapis did not fall to her knees and cry. Jasper's reproach, no matter how biting and harsh, could not sway the smaller woman. Her knees might buckle but she stayed upright and carried on, harder than ever.

This display didn't deter Jasper or break her confidence as the "toughest trainer at the Crystal Gym". It did the opposite: it made her heart pound. The bodybuilder soon found herself looking forward to her appointments with Lapis, and looking at her client in an unprofessional manner.

She was very conscious of the definition in Lapis's leg muscles. Her back was strong but still slender. Sweat rolled off her back and Jasper had to pull herself together just to prevent herself from leaning forward to lick the sweat off her back. 

This wasn’t the first time she'd fallen for one of her clients, and it likely wouldn’t pan out, but any chance she may have had with Lapis was now destroyed. 

“I blew it.” Jasper groaned, rubbing her forehead. “Literally. Blew it.”

“I advised you not to eat that burrito,” Peridot said, typing without pause. Jasper should have been in the locker room getting ready for her next appointment, but instead she was killing time at the front desk, interrupting Peridot’s work with her need to vent.

“I should have listened,” Jasper admitted. “What was I thinking? And before a session with my hottest client.”

From there Jasper told Peridot how she ruined her chance with Lapis. It was during her last session with Lapis in the weight lifting room. Jasper saw someone improperly lifting weights from the corner of her eye. Fueled by a need to correct them-- and to show off-- Jasper pushed them aside, cracked her knuckles, and proudly crowed, “That’s not how you lift! Now this-- THIS is how you lift!” She reached for the weights, legs bent, back straight. Her hands closed around the bar, and she was about to lift it high and proud when a fart ripped out of her. 

The force of her flatulence was enough to make her believe she'd torn a hole in her tight workout shorts (she hadn’t, thank goodness), and it quieted the room. 

Everyone stood in disgusted awe. People looked away from the televisions overhead just to stare at her. People on treadmills slowed their pace, bodybuilders dropped their weights.

The only thing that broke the awkward silence was the laughter bubbling up from Lapis’s throat. She was on her knees and crying, holding her sides. 

Jasper was mortified.

Jasper ended up cutting the training session short and brooded in the sauna where no one could see how embarrassed she was.

Jasper finished her story and Peridot sighed. “I know, Jasper. I was there. I was fixing a treadmill when you broke wind. A safe distance away, I might add.”

Jasper covered her face. “Garnet said she could hear it all the way from her kickboxing class.”

“She’s exaggerating,” Peridot said, aware of the small rivalry the two shared. “You were loud. But not that loud.”

“Now Lapis thinks I...”

“Thinks you fart? Like everyone else?” 

“I’ll never be able to ask her out now!”

“Implying you had a chance,” Peridot said, eyes glued to the computer. 

“Says the person who has been single since I met her.”

Peridot continued to type. “That’s by choice. Relationships are bothersome. I have more important things to do. You know, you would get a lot more accomplished if you weren’t so fixated on dating.”

“Oh yeah? And do what?” Jasper was honestly clueless about what else she could do to occupy her time. The Crystal Gym was her life, fitness her passion, and the few moments she wasn’t at the gym she was at the bar, nursing a drink as she flirted, looking for a one-night stand or something more. Definitely something more. Sex wasn’t hard for Jasper, but she was looking for more than a one-night stand. She wanted stability, companionship. Whatever it was that Garnet had that she didn’t. And despite appearances, Jasper liked cuddles. Her couch was cold, the house she owned lonely. Peridot came over at least once a week but kept her distance. When they watched movies together there was always a bowl of popcorn between them. Jasper had long given up trying to woo her friend, content with the relationship they had.

Peridot’s glasses slipped. She pushed them up the bridge of her nose with her shoulder. “I can’t tell you what to do. You have to figure that out yourself.”

“Do you really think I never had a chance with Lapis?” Jasper asked, changing the subject only a little.

“Of course you don’t.” Peridot sighed, glancing at the clock. She lifted her hands from the keyboard and swiveled her chair to face Jasper. “If I tell you why will you stop bothering me?”

“Maybe.”

Maybe. Peridot could work with maybe, and Jasper had an appointment in five minutes. She would be out of her hair soon, one way or another.

“Listen. You have a type.”

“What type?”

“Out of your league.” Peridot spun back into place, typing again, but Jasper didn’t leave. “You’re still here.”

“I can’t do it. I can’t face her.” Jasper shook her head.

“Well you have to.” Peridot sniffed. “You have an appointment to honor and besides...” Her lip curled. “She’s already here.”

Jasper jumped from her seat and followed Peridot’s gaze. Her body grew cold despite the blood pounding in her eardrums.

Shit. She wasn’t kidding. Lapis had just entered the building, blue sundress skirting over her ankles. A flash of her sports bra and the sneakers clashing with the outfit told Jasper she was wearing her workout clothes underneath, as usual. She took off her sunglasses and tucked them in her purse as she approached, waving.

“You’re screwed,” Peridot whispered, watching the blush rise on Jasper’s face.

“Waiting for me?” Lapis asked jokingly, signing into the registry book at the counter.

Jasper nearly choked, but she gathered her bravado quickly, faking confidence. “I just got here.”

Peridot spun in her chair, raising a brow at the blatant lie.

Lapis giggled, and Peridot suspected she didn’t believe Jasper either. “Well, that makes it easier. We can get started right away. I had a rough day at work, so do your worst.”

“That’s what I’m here for.”

X

Jasper watched Lapis do her stretches, sitting on the bench next to the ball rack. Across from them Pearl was instructing her yoga class, but neither Pearl or Jasper minded the extra company. Jasper also suspected Pearl liked the attention, her eyes flitting towards her and Lapis over the bodies bent in the downward dog pose.

“So, what do you do for work?” Jasper asked conversationally. In the space between walking from the front desk and to the yoga lounge, Jasper decided she would get Lapis’s phone number. Peridot’s words had worked under her tough hide, both agitating and encouraging her.

Lapis lifted her head, an arm stretched over her chest. Her bangs were choppy and hung in her eyes. “Oh, uh, I never told you?”

Jasper shrugged. “I never asked.”

Lapis switched arms. “I’m a history teacher.”

“I can see why you’d be stressed. Kids can be annoying.”

Lapis shook her head, “it’s not that.” She took to the floor, stretching her legs now. “It’s my coworkers.”

Jasper thought of Peridot. “I can relate.”

“They’re always... pressuring me. Putting me in a corner. It makes me feel trapped. I can’t stand it.” Jasper’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, watching the way Lapis’s fists clenched. Lapis blinked, followed Jasper’s eyes and relaxed her hands. “...Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Jasper crouched down next to her.

“What about you?” she asked, looking over her shoulder. “Do you like working here?”

“It’s my life.” Jasper said, and for once her voice hitched at the statement. Lapis probably thought she was a loser with no life; like Peridot said, she needed some hobbies. But Jasper was proud, and she couldn’t say anything but the truth. Lapis was being honest with her, she owed the woman the same courtesy.

“Oh... Is that a good thing?”

Jasper nodded. “I love it here. I love helping people sculpt their bodies and watch their self esteem grow.” 

She blushed, noticing that she had somehow hooked Lapis’s attention, to the point that she stopped stretching and stared at her wistfully. She shrugged, turning slightly away but not too much to be obvious. “Everyone is strong, it’s just they don’t see it yet or they've forgotten...“ She scratched the back of her head, accidentally loosening her ponytail. “What’re you looking at? You think I’m a dork or something.”

Lapis hid a smirk behind her shoulder blade. “Yes.” Her tone was light, playful like a skip on a sidewalk, and that eased Jasper’s nerves. 

“Shut up and do your stretches,” Jasper huffed, standing up. 

“You’re really good at it-- your job. It’s a--” She paused, doing a backbend. “--a greaaat stress relief when I’m here. Thank you.”

Lapis finished her stretches and they headed to the track field to work on her sprints. There was no time for further conversation as they ran, giving Jasper an excuse for her flushed face, and for her to consider Lapis’s words.

For two weeks, Jasper had pined over the other woman, and they worked together silently, save for when Jasper barked scathing encouragement down her back. Often in the past she had shown off, making it so that when Lapis entered the gym Jasper was already lifting weights. Once, she had flexed her muscles and haughtily said, “Work hard and you might look as good as me.” 

“No. I’m good,” Lapis had said, shocking the bodybuilder.

And then the fart happened. And now, suddenly, they were talking and Jasper wondered how she'd managed it. Was it the fart that loosened the mood? No. She shook her head. It had to be something else. But if it wasn’t that she showed off her muscle, then what was it? That confused her but she decided not to question it. She was making progress, and by the end of this run and a few more core building exercises, before Lapis left, she would make her move.

After the run and a short break, they continued the conversation. Jasper learned Lapis had just moved to Beach City five months ago, but she wasn’t sure if she liked it. She had moved here only because they offered her a teaching position, and she had to move out of her mom’s place before she committed homicide. 

“I love my mom,” she said. “But she’s overbearing."

Jasper quickly noticed a pattern within the younger woman. She didn’t like being backed into corners and especially hated pushy people. Considering this, Jasper found it strange that Lapis liked Jasper’s methods as a personal trainer. Being an overbearing instructor with the vocal chords of a drill sergeant was her specialty.

Lapis had done wonderfully at the exercises Jasper laid out. The only one she struggled with were the squats that lasted three minutes, Jasper swore she saw Lapis’s chin tremble, and she had been ready to yell at her, but as always, Lapis pushed through.

“Your butt is going to look amazing after doing those--” It was a praise Jasper was used to giving her other clients after that particularly strenuous exercise, but Lapis quickly looked up, and Jasper swallowed, suddenly unable to finish that sentence.

“Not that it doesn’t already,” she said quickly, and then finally she panicked, reverting to gloating. “But it’s still not as fine as mine!”

“I’ll just do more,” Lapis replied. “But not tonight. I’m pooped. I’m going to shower. Will you still be here?”

“Yes!” Jasper might have said a little too quickly. 

“Great. There’s something I wanted to ask you.”

“You can ask me now.” 

Lapis’s eyes turned dark as molasses, flitting over Jasper. A strange smirk pulled her lips. Jasper had very rarely seen Lapis smile, a worthy contestant against Peridot’s sour expression, but she had never seen that look on the younger woman before. The few times she smiled, it was bright and joyful, but that smirk made a chill dance up Jasper’s spine. Fear wasn’t the correct word, but it was close. 

“You can wait,” she teased, her voice matching the darkness reflected in her eyes. She backed away, hands behind her back, fingers interlaced, then spun around, disappearing into the locker room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to anyone who commented and left kudos. <3 It was nice extra encouragement. No smut in this chapter but we're getting close. Very close.

The wait made Jasper anxious. She crossed her arms and surveyed the room to keep herself from brooding. She watched Pearl’s yoga class wrap up and move off in separate directions, mainly towards the locker room. They passed by Jasper, and for once Jasper didn’t notice the drifting, flirtatious glances. She was distracted, thoughts pulled towards Lapis.

“You can wait,” she had said.

Jasper hated waiting. It made her think too much, made her hopeful and second-guess things. It made her angry. 

Lapis was toying with her. She was taking too long in the locker room (by Jasper’s standards), leaving the body builder impatient. Jasper considered going back to the front desk to pass time with Peridot but she had a feeling she shouldn’t. The sudden seductive darkness that had glinted in Lapis’s eyes had ignited something in Jasper. The words were simple but concise, both rooting her to the spot and making her heart race. Faster than when they had run laps around the track.

Jasper wasn’t too keen on reconvening with Peridot either, not until she asked Lapis out. Then she could gloat about her victory to her cynical coworker, or return with her tail between her legs for imagined symapthy. Peridot would receive her poorly no matter the outcome, but she was Jasper’s closest friend and her cynicism was strangely comforting. It pulled Jasper out of her moods. 

The room was empty now, save for her and Pearl. The yoga instructor was rolling her mat away. Jasper was about to talk to her when Garnet came into the room, Amethyst following behind her. 

Garnet looked at Jasper, then turned away, ignoring her. Jasper rolled her eyes and held her ground. She softened a little when she saw Amethyst waving at her, but stayed where she was. She watched the three friends gather, Garnet with a slight smile as Amethyst said something to Pearl.

Jasper couldn’t hear them, but she could see whatever Amethyst said had upset Pearl, making her fist her hands on her hips, her words unintelligible but her voice high.

Pearl huffed and picked up her bag and yoga mat. The three began to leave, moving closer to Jasper. 

“Cheesecake after a workout is counterproductive, Amethyst.”

Amethyst shrugged. “Eh. It’s a good incentive for me.”

“Don’t expect me to eat any.”

“Whatever. I wasn’t going to share anyway.”

Pearl’s eyes drifted from her friends to Jasper, then away, smiling a little. Her lips parted, and Jasper thought she considered inviting her along, but then they both glanced at Garnet and she closed her mouth. 

They left and Lapis returned smelling like soap, but still faintly like salt. Her short hair was damp, dripping on her bare shoulders. She was wearing the sundress again, this time without her workout clothes underneath. She was braless, Jasper noticed. Lapis followed the bodybuilder’s owlish gaze, lips taut. She had a perfect poker face.

Jasper expected anger to dawn on her client’s face any minute, but Lapis held the blank expression, worrying her.

“You waited,” she said, a small grin tugging at her thin lips.

Jasper folded her arms over her chest. “What did you want to talk about?”

“After you.”

“What are you talking about? You’re the one who said you had something to talk to me about.” 

“I did,” she admitted, then brushed it off, “but you looked like you had something more important to say.” Jasper stiffened and Lapis tilted her chin, silently daring her.

Jasper’s mouth was dry. She licked her lips, the words edging out of her mouth slowly. 

“I thought we could exchange numbers,” Jasper said, and then, as if Lapis would get the wrong idea. “It would be easier to monitor your training that way, and we could meet outside of the gym.”

She had bailed halfway through, masking the invitation as work, but she still held her breath, anticipating Lapis’s answer. She wasn’t sure what to expect anymore from the younger woman, who didn’t chastise her for looking down her shirt minutes ago. This was the same woman that made her wait without complaint. This same woman who stared at her intently, and rarely smiled, but would fall to the floor laughing at fart jokes or crack a secretive smile that sent chills down Jasper’s spine. 

Jasper realized she knew nothing about Lapis. Lapis told her she was a history teacher, but her body language told Jasper she was something else. Her true nature and intentions were veiled and that piqued the bodybuilder’s curiosity. She wanted to know Lapis, her truths and her desires. She was taller, larger, and older, but Lapis could dismantle her, strip her bare, and she would only want more.

Lapis's stance before her, her words, were just a taste of what she could do. What that was exactly, Jasper couldn’t fathom, only that it made her hope Lapis said yes.

“Coincidentally, I was going to ask you that.” Lapis pulled out her phone and handed it to Jasper. “I’ll text you when I get home, then you’ll have my number too.”

She took the phone and added herself into Lapis’s contacts. The entire time her heart pounded, numb thumbs tapping the screen.

“Would you call this. . . extra training?” Lapis asked, smirking like a cat that had captured the canary.

“Of course. What else would it be?”

Lapis giggled, disbelieving but playing along. “I could train you too, you know. It doesn’t have to be about me.”

Jasper laughed, flexing her muscles. “Train me for what?” 

Lapis reached for her phone. Her fingernails grazed Jasper’s palm in the exchange. 

“Lots of things,” she said.

X

Peridot raised an eyebrow at Jasper when she came back to the desk with a spring in her heavy steps. Jasper told her everything that happened, not letting Peridot have a word in. Peridot didn’t mind Jasper’s enthusiasm; replying took concentration from her work. She had drowned most of the story out up until the end. She dropped her hands to her sides. “You’re joking.”

“Peri, the first time I lied to you you told me I should never pursue acting. Look at me, am I lying?”

Peridot adjusted her glasses, squinting. “Hmmm. You’re not lying, are you?” She leaned back in her seat, eyes crinkling in a smile. Peridot wasn’t prone to smiling, but when she did, she smiled from her eyes, not her lips.

“Well done, you passed the first obstacle. Now you have to not scare her off. Word of advice-- don’t try too hard.”

“What about you? You don’t try at all.” 

“Take it from someone who was on the receiving end of your affections.”

Peridot saw the time and began to pack her things. Jasper recognized the routine and picked up her water bottle but left her half-eaten granola bar. 

Peridot slung her bag over her shoulder. “Just give her some room and be yourself. Don’t be pushy.”

X

The advice Peridot gave Jasper came to mind after Lapis finally texted Jasper later that night.

 **Lapis 8:37PM**  
Hi, this is Lapis.

Jasper stared at her phone. The gang wars documentary on the television quickly became white noise. After she added Lapis to her contacts she sat up straight and considered her reply. Peridot’s advice ran over her head, making her nervous.

 **Jasper 8:40PM**  
Hi. Just got home?

 **Lapis 8:40PM**  
No. I had to take care of some errands and make dinner. Sorry if I texted late, I just wanted to mail you before I went to bed.

 **Jasper 8:41PM**  
Little early for bed.

 **Lapis 8:42PM**  
School in the morning, and our session tonight wore me out.

Jasper’s thumbs hung in midair over the screen. That was an opening if she ever saw one, and it was so tempting to take. In the past she wouldn't have hesitated, but between Peridot’s advice and being single for six months, she held back. She shook her head, deciding it was too soon to send her naughty thoughts. 

Then what should she reply back? Should she at all? Lapis did say she was about to go to bed. Finally, after several drafts that were deleted, she sent one last text for the night.

 **Jasper 8:46PM**  
That’s what I like to hear! Nite!

They started to text regularly at night after work. The conversation was slow at first as Jasper struggled to find footing, worried about giving Lapis her space while still engaging with her. It was a precarious balance that and finding what to talk about. Jasper mostly asked Lapis questions about herself: what she was up to, how her day was. 

The topic of extra training wasn’t touched on, and Jasper figured they were past the pretense of that until on the fourth night, Lapis texted her.

 **Lapis 7:15 PM**  
I am free tomorrow. Holiday. Were you still up for extra training? 

**Lapis 7:15PM**  
It’s short notice so I understand if you can’t.

Jasper’s eyes widened, rereading the two lines. So Lapis was serious! Jasper could work with that, and it could be an opening. People didn’t just exchange numbers and chat amicably with their personal trainers after hours did they? 

**Jasper 7:23PM**  
What time?

 **Lapis 7:23PM**  
Noon please.

 **Jasper 7:24PM**  
Should I bring something with me? Any workouts you wanted to do?

 **Lapis 7:24PM**  
You don’t need to bring anything. We’ll discuss things further when you arrive.

Jasper raised a brow at that. What did that mean? It didn’t sound fitness-related and the tone of the text read seriously, like the precursor to a lecture.

 **Jasper 7:27 PM**  
Good shit. Get ready to get recked!

 **Lapis 7:27 PM**  
We’ll see about that.

She texted Jasper the address to her apartment and then a good night. Jasper went to bed twenty minutes later but tossed and turned, too excited for tomorrow. Finally frustrated and accepting she wouldn’t sleep anytime soon, she reached for her phone.

Peridot was nearly always awake, a restless sleeper when she found sleep. In all the years she had known Peridot, Jasper had only seen her fall asleep once, and that was after she dragged her to a few bars. After a severe hangover and discovering a clitoral hood piercing, Peridot swore she would never let Jasper take her out drinking again. 

**Jasper 9:20PM**  
We’re doing extra training tomorrow.

 **Peridot 9:21PM**  
lol no we’re not.

 **Jasper 9:21PM**  
Me and Lapis.

 **Peridot 9:21PM**  
I see.

 **Peridot 9:22PM**  
Excited? Bet you can’t sleep.

 **Jasper 9:23PM**  
Shut up. 

**Jasper 9:23PM**  
She said we would discuss things when I come over. What does that mean?

 **Peridot 9:24PM**  
Yeah, just hold on a second while I read Lapis’s mind for you.

 **Jasper 9:25PM**  
Do you think it’s an invitation?

 **Peridot 9:26PM**  
I don’t know. Stop asking me things I don’t know.

 **Peridot 9:26PM**  
I would assume that it’s a good sign that she invited you over. 

They texted back and forth late into the evening until Jasper passed out. Despite that, she still woke up before her alarm went off at eight. She stretched like a languid lion and rolled out of bed. It was the same routine as any other day: wake up, jog and lift weights, then a shower followed by a light breakfast. The only difference was she had something-- and someone-- to look forward to.

She took extra time in the shower and stared at her closet, debating what to wear. Eventually she realized all her outfits looked nearly the same, with a favoritism towards the color orange. They were working out today anyway, she thought, choosing a pair of jersey shorts and a loose tank top.

She worried that she would have a few hours to kill before she had to go, but when she checked the clock she found she didn’t have any extra time to spare. She laced up her size eleven sneakers, tucked her wallet in her shorts, and went out the door.

It was a breezy day out, perfect for a hot workout. Jasper considered what they would do today. She had recognized Lapis’s address; she didn’t live far from the beach. They could run laps along the coastline path or play one-on-one volleyball on the beach. Honestly, Jasper wasn’t interested in those kinds of workouts. She imagined her and Lapis burning calories in bed. That was unlikely but it was nice to think about, warming her insides.

After she parked the car she realized Lapis had texted her sometime on the way to her apartment.

 **Lapis 11:25AM**  
I slept in a little. I’m going to jump in the shower but if I’m not out before you get here I left the key under the welcome mat.

That was fifteen minutes ago. Jasper’s chest puffed, a burst of confidence coursing through her. This had to be a date. That message just now was the clearest evidence. No one took a shower before a workout (unless Lapis was like Pearl, who took one between every class). Jasper made a fist, heart fluttering with excitement.

She stomped up wooden steps, rousing a dog in one of the downstairs apartments. It barked under her feet but she didn’t notice that, or any of Lapis’s neighbors. Her eyes scanned the doors of the apartments and stopped at unit P, the letter emblazoned in cheap gold paint. The door was white-washed and still stank of fresh paint fumes, so much that Jasper hesitated to knock.

She did and no one answered. She stepped back off the welcome mat. It was a cute aquatic design with fish swimming along the edges and an octopus with a speech bubble that said, “Swim On In!”

Jasper lifted the mat and found a key taped to the bottom of the welcome mat. Sticky residue from the tape clung to the key. Jasper crumbled the tape between her fingers, then aimed the key towards the lock.

Before she drove it home the door clicked from the other side and it swung open. 

Lapis caught the surprise on Jasper’s face and took the key. Her hair was damp, the ends clinging to the outline of her neck. She wore a simple white dress with a high-low hem. Her feet were bare, the toes polished with bright blue lacquer. She invited Jasper inside and asked her to take off her shoes.

“You’re not dressed for working out,” Jasper commented, stepping on the back of one shoe to pull her foot out. She used her hand to take off the other shoe and tossed them aside. 

“We both know you’re not here for that,” Lapis said bluntly, surprising her. “And put your shoes on the mat."

Jasper rolled her eyes and set her shoes where Lapis asked. Did it hurt for her to leave her shoes on the carpet? The apartment was a mess. No clothes or papers were strewn about. In fact the entire apartment was nearly bare, save for a few pieces of furniture and moving boxes. Lots and lots of moving boxes, all perfectly sealed save for the lone one on the coffee table that Lapis had apparently opened only because it held her clothes.

“So tell me.” Jasper grinned sharply. “What am I here for?”

Lapis unfolded her arms and gestured to the packing boxes cluttering the apartment. “I thought you could help me move these.”

“That’s all?” She thought they were done playing games.

“The boxes are heavy.” 

Jasper looked at the boxes. Lapis reached into the open box on the coffee table marked “Clothes.”

“If you wanted a mover you should have just hired someone,” she said gruffly, annoyed that her expectations had been ruined.

Lapis hummed softly, toying with the piece of lacy cloth she retrieved from the box. “I wanted to ask a friend, someone I could trust. Someone I like.”

Jasper bolted to attention. 

Lapis’s voice was plain, but her intentions unclear, like murky water Jasper wanted to dive into. She left so much hidden, so little said, gently reeling in Jasper like a fish.

She approached Jasper, her footsteps slow, moving in time to the beat of Jasper’s heart. The train of her dress billowed behind her. Jasper watched her reach up and run her delicate hand over Jasper's bicep at rest.

Jasper shivered and, without thinking, moved into Lapis’s touch, aware more than ever of how much she needed it. 

Lapis stood on the tip of her toes and Jasper bent down to meet her. She did not kiss her; her lips grazed her cheek. Hot breath met her ear, a sharp whisper: “I know how much you like showing off.” Her hands reached for Jasper’s, and she placed the lacy cloth in her hands. 

Lapis stepped away, hands coquettishly tucked behind her back. Jasper unfurled the cloth Lapis placed in her hands and instantly turned red.

“I want you to wear it for me.”

It was a frilly bra and underwear set, pure white, the lace soft under her calloused hands. 

She gave a hearty, dismissive chuckle. “That’s all you want? I’ll just strip naked. I don’t need to wear this.”

“You do, if I ask you to. That is, if you’re willing. I won’t force you if it makes you uncomfortable.”

Jasper knit her brows. “What exactly do you want?”

“You to serve me.”

“Is this like S & M shit? With the leather and shit?” 

Lapis didn’t look the part. She was wearing a sundress, not six-inch patent leather boots and a corset, whip in hand. Though that sudden image did bring an unexpected rush between Jasper’s legs. 

Lapis nodded, averting her eyes, arms crossed defensively. Her cool cucumber act was melting away, though Jasper didn’t see it, mind racing at this proposal.

“Like I said, I’m not going to force you.” 

Jasper looked between the lingerie and the woman rubbing her arm distractedly. She grunted as if unfazed by this, but she was scared as hell.

“I can stop whenever I want, right?”

Lapis perked up, nodding her head. She saw the curiosity glowing in Jasper’s eyes like hot coals, and her confidence knitted back together. “Whenever you want,” She said. “And whatever happens stays in here.”

“Where’s your bathroom? I’ll go change.”

“It’s down the hallway-- on the right.”

Jasper stomped down the hall, feeling Lapis’s eyes on her back. The newness of the situation excited her, but made her feel vulnerable as well. She had some ideas of what might happen, things she had seen in movies and porn, but there was a feeling swimming in her gut. 

What the hell was she getting herself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jasper in cute lingerie next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. I had to work extra last week which cut into my writing time. Thank you for your kind comments and patience. It all means a lot. 
> 
> Smut starts in this chapter.

“Jasper?” Lapis tentatively knocked on the bathroom door.

“I said I’m fine!” Jasper growled from the other side.

Lapis dropped her hand to her waist, chewing her lip. “Does the underwear not fit?”

It fit, God, it fit. That was what was wrong. It fit perfectly, and as Jasper looked at herself in the mirror, she wasn’t sure what to think. It wasn’t that she was modest. If Lapis had just asked her to strip, she would have done so right there in the living room. She wouldn’t have stomped to the bathroom, or holed herself up here for what must have been ten minutes. She wasn’t sure, and she was afraid to check the time in case it was longer than that.

She heard Lapis stir from the other side of the door, and she tensed, self-conscious. Lapis had to be annoyed by now. She had the feeling she wasn’t a patient woman.

Finally, Lapis said, “Okay. I’ll be waiting for you in the living room, but if you’re uncomf--”

“I said I’m fine!” Jasper said defensively.

She imagined Lapis shrugged. She heard bare feet slap against the hardwood floor, walking away.

Jasper exhaled, staring at her face in the mirror. She put on her game face, knitting her brows, her reflection fiercely glowering back at her, a faint blush dusting her cheeks (that she tried to ignore).

She slapped her cheeks and drew in a measured breath. When was the last time that her heart pounded like this?

She made the mistake of glancing down at herself. The lacy bra and underwear set was bright white, making itself known against her dark complexion. The last time she'd worn something with this much flower and lace, she was twelve and forced into an Easter Sunday dress. She had quickly ruined that dress-- her parents had made the mistake of trusting her, a tomboy, outside. Within minutes the dress was caked with mud and when it came out of the wash it had turned milk brown. After that her parents stopped forcing her into frilly dresses and Jasper began to doubt she looked good in dresses, florals, and lace at all.

But Lapis seemed to think she did, she thought as she looked at herself in the mirror, turning around, glancing at her ass. The underwear was a little tight. The cloth stretched taut around her bottom, the pleated edges bringing out the firm, muscular curves of her ass.

Soon, Jasper began to question how Lapis had the right size clothes, just waiting for Jasper in her apartment. It was impossible to think the other woman just kept a stockpile of clothes in various sizes. No, she had planned this to the very wire. Jasper could see it plainly on her body.

The entire time she had been training Lapis, she had showed off at every opportunity, flexing muscles, working angles that best accentuated her body. Lapis had rolled her eyes or awkwardly averted her eyes at Jasper’s obvious displays for attention. That didn’t stop Jasper of course, but she had really thought that Lapis didn’t care.

The underwear fit. Lapis had been paying more attention than Jasper could ever dream of and that sent a thrill up her spine and inspired her to swallow her doubt. Her hand closed around the handle and after a sharp intake of breath, she finally opened the door.

Her steps were slow and careful. The action was strange for Jasper, who typically stomped and strutted like a proud beast. For once she didn’t want her presence known, still self-conscious. But a part of her, the part that never seemed to go away-- her id, her pride, whispered for attention, specifically Lapis’s.

 

(Fanart by irinamov.)

Jasper slouched slightly as she entered the living room. Lapis was sitting on the floor at the coffee table. The opened packing box was moved elsewhere and in its place was a stack of papers. A red ink pen rested in Lapis’s hand, poised over a sheet of paper. Her bangs were pinned back with a yellow flower clip, and she was wearing eclectic red-framed glasses that brought out her blue eyes.

She looked up when she felt Jasper’s shadow over her. She blinked, took off her glasses, and smiled coyly.

“Well.” Jasper crossed her arms over her chest, like a defiant pouty child. “I’m wearing it.”

“I see.”

Jasper fumed instantly. “That’s it?”

“Well, I don’t see you lifting any boxes, now do I?” Lapis put her reading glasses back on and returned to grading papers. “I want them in the guest bedroom.”

Jasper grumbled but picked up a box. As she lifted it she stole a glance at Lapis. The other woman hadn’t looked up since she put her reading glasses on.

“You’re not even watching.”

“I can hear you-- and all I’m hearing are complaints and not enough doing what I told you to do.”

Jasper clenched the box. She was nearly ready to drop it and walk out the door, but then Lapis looked up and they locked eyes. Jasper’s anger caught in her throat, heart hammering against her chest.

Lapis broke eye contact but that didn’t settle Jasper’s nerves. She could feel her eyes on her body. Jasper moved the box over her chest, blocking the view, but she could do nothing about her lower body. She averted her eyes, huffed, and stampeded down the hall to the guest bedroom. She dropped the box like it was on fire, her arms shaking like her old washing machine.

She pressed her forehead against the wall.

She wasn’t sure how to feel about this. Her ego itched, and she bristled. Some part of her was angry, but the awe and warmth coiling in her gut overrode her agitation.

She wanted to go back to the living room, to be under Lapis’s adoring gaze once again, but she wasn’t sure if she could handle it-- stark naked or fully clothed. The worst part was, once she recovered her wits, she would have to go through the ordeal again until she finished

Jasper walked out of the room, paused near the living room, and drew in a breath.

This time as she picked up the box, Lapis didn’t stir from her desk, thoroughly immersed in her work. Jasper hadn’t noticed this, hurriedly moving in and out. But after several trips she did notice and she was furious and frustrated, a curse and demands edging out of her throat.

Look at me, dammit! she wanted to yell.

Still, she dutifully did the task, surprisingly without vocal complaint. She set the last box down and began to wonder what would happen next when a thin arm appeared from behind her, holding a glass of water.

Lapis set the glass on the bookshelf next to Jasper. Her sudden reappearance, the noise the glass made as it knocked against wood, surprised Jasper and she jolted slightly.

Lapis was close. She could smell the salt and cinnamon on her skin. The brush of warmth sent goosebumps up Jasper’s arm.

“Good job,” Lapis said, and when Jasper continued to stare at her, she raised the glass, pressing it against her arm. “You must be thirsty.”

The glass was cold on the perspiration on her arm, the veins slightly raised from carrying the boxes. They had not felt heavy to her at all, but to Lapis, she thought, they probably were. She was touched that Lapis thought of her to help her. Jasper imagined the tiny woman straining to pick up one. How long had those boxes sat there?

“Wouldn’t it have been easier to just unpack them?” Jasper asked.

Lapis hadn’t expected that, the surprise evident on her face. “I’m... I’m still not sure about this place.”

“You thinking about getting a new apartment?” The ceilings were high, the paint crisp and fresh. Everything was brand new and she even had a dishwasher-- something Jasper didn’t have at her own house.

“No.” Lapis tensed slightly. “I just don’t like it. Here. In Beach City.” She wasn’t wearing the reading glasses anymore and her bangs were unclipped. She blew upwards, stirring a section of her unruly bangs. “So, how should I reward you?” She arched a brow, hoping to extinguish that subject.

It worked. Jasper shyly took the glass from her. The look Lapis was giving her made her consciously aware that she was wearing almost nothing while the other woman was fully clothed. It was subtle, this imbalance of power that Lapis had set in place. Jasper was eager to untie the back of Lapis’s dress. The contrast made Jasper vulnerable and although she didn’t dislike it, she wasn’t used to it.

It was more than to right to even the playing field. She wanted to see the body underneath. Lapis followed her gaze, smiling and forward. She stepped closer to Jasper. “Can I touch you?”

Jasper tried not to nod too eagerly, a blush creeping up her neck. Lapis giggled, reaching upwards to stroke her flushed neck.

She tiptoed upwards and Jasper bent down to meet her. A hot whisper brushed her cheek, laced with laughter. “You’re cute,” Lapis breathed and Jasper could feel her taking in her scent. “I’ve always wanted to tell you that.”

“Cute?!” Jasper half-stuttered, incredulous but not offended.

Lapis lightly scratched the tip of Jasper’s nose. Jasper reached up to grasp Lapis’s hand. Her nose, she was always a little self-conscious of. She broke it in a fight some years ago and now it was crooked and occasionally hurt.

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Jasper smiled, stroking the smaller woman’s hand. She paused for a moment, marveling at how her hand completely enveloped Lapis’s and she swallowed, suddenly aware that she could break her.

Lapis had followed her gaze, sharing the same thought, but without the same worry that crossed Jasper’s mind. “I’m built pretty tough,” she assured.

Jasper knew the other woman wasn’t just boasting; Jasper had seen it when she trained her. Lapis was a stubborn little bird. Jasper had yet to see her break, and after spending time with her for almost a month, she couldn’t picture her breaking into even a tiny sniffle. Tough as nails, probably tougher than me, Jasper thought quietly to herself.

“You should carry me to my room,” Lapis suggested. “It’s less crowded and not stuffy.” She reached her arms out to be picked up. She already knew Jasper would say yes.

X

Jasper didn’t expect things to move so fast, but Lapis’s gentle weight in her arms broke her restraint. She kissed the corner of her mouth, and then, feeling Lapis sink into the kiss, planted a direct one on her lips.

Lapis managed to flip the light switch as Jasper carried her over the threshold to her room. The room was bright white and unremarkable save for the deep navy blue blankets and bedsheets. The bed was messy, pillows on the floor and bedsheets askew. The mess helped ease Jasper’s nerves. It made the intimidating woman in her arms feel a little more human. She set Lapis on the bed, kissing her boldly, reaching a hand under the dress.

The straps of Lapis’s dress were loose, laying sloppily off her shoulders. Her hair was mussed, cheeks and lips red. Her desires grew as Jasper caressed her body under the dress.

“Why don’t you take this thing off?”

Lapis managed a sharp smile, face flushed and eyes glazed. “The dress stays.”

“You’re wet. So watching someone move boxes around the apartment is what turns you on?” Jasper said, teasing her fingers over the front of Lapis’s underwear. The silk panties had a distinct damp spot, and even under the dress, with the cloth blocking them, Jasper could smell the unmistakable smell of arousal: salt and sweat, the heat of copper. She could smell the blood pumping in the air, feel the heat vibrating off Lapis’s body.

Lapis shifted, parting her legs. “What turns me on is watching you obey me.” She ran a hand up Jasper’s bicep. “And your strong, statuesque body, all dolled up. . .” Her hand drifted, playing with the lace lining of Jasper's bra.

Jasper swallowed, watching her hands. She felt, she saw Lapis caress her breasts over the bra. She moved into the touch and reached behind herself to undo the clasp.

Lapis stopped her.

“Just the panties, Jasper.” Her brows knitted. “No pouting.”

“I’m not pouting."

“Then. . . whatever that face it is you’re making.”

Jasper grumbled as she slipped off the underwear. Her unintelligible complaints waned as Lapis cupped her sex, framed with wild curls. The hair smelled musky and glistened with her excitement.

Lapis’s thumb rolled indirectly against Jasper’s clit, “You’re wet. Do you always get this wet when you show off?” Before Jasper could answer she continued, “Every time I came to the gym you were always puffing out your chest, lifting the heaviest weights, or flexing. Did you get excited then?”

Jasper turned her head away. “. . .No.”

“Jasper.” Lapis caught her chin,turning her head to face her.

“. . . A little.”

Lapis felt Jasper tense under her fingers and stopped.

“I’m not really used to this.” Jasper admitted, seeing the concern on the younger woman’s face. “Normally I do all the... you know. Touching.” She shrugged.

It wasn’t that she wanted Lapis to stop. She was outside of her comfort zone, what she was used to. Due to her attitude and appearance, Jasper’s hookups and girlfriends had placed her in a certain, rigid role as the giver. Some had attempted to touch her, but those few attempts had ended in the other giving up in frustration.

“I don’t come easily.” She was almost afraid to say that too. Usually people took that as a challenge.

Lapis nodded, unblinking, and unperturbed. “That’s fine. No one has to come-- it’s nice, but. . .” She leaned closer to Jasper, and Jasper wrapped an arm around her as if she had always done this. Lapis snuggled into Jasper’s chest, her fingers beginning to work on Japer’s clit, gently tapping the swollen bud. “I just want to have fun with you.”

Her long slender fingers slipped inside Jasper effortlessly. She curled her fingers, hooking them against her front inner walls. Jasper gasped, shuddering. She reached under the dress again but Lapis held her back with her free hand.

“You have to learn to let go,” Lapis whispered. She straddled Jasper’s leg and grinded against it, slow in comparison to the way her fingers roughly thrust in and out of the larger woman underneath her.

Jasper gripped Lapis’s hips, holding her steady, and also to press herself against her. Lapis shouted, gripping the sheets under them. She leaned forward, wildly pressing kisses along Jasper’s throat. She felt her growl, the vibrations under her lips.

She slipped out of Jasper’s grasp like water, flowing down until her face was only a warm breath away from Jasper’s slit. She could smell the salt, feel the heat radiating against her eager mouth. She blew a soft, teasing puff of air, stirring the soft curls. Jasper shivered before Lapis’s mouth was upon her. Her lips pursed and hugged her clit. The tips of her fingers teased her entrance and found their place inside her again.

Lapis made it easier to let go. She was patient and her eyes blue eyes shimmered, fully enthused with what she was doing to Jasper. She held Jasper’s gaze, holding her with gentleness, forcing her vulnerability. She didn’t roll her eyes or groan with annoyance like the other girls had, treating Jasper’s needs as a chore or undesirable job.

Lapis kissed, pried into her, like it was her passion. And even when Jasper became dry and awkwardly asked if they could stop, she still took it in stride, kissing her instead of stroking her.

After a few moments of silent cuddling Jasper’s eyes snapped open. “So when do you crack your whip and step on me?” She said it as if she were joking, but she was serious. This wasn’t what she imagined when Lapis said she would “serve her.”

Lapis laughed, lifting her head up. She looked beautiful, curled up into the crook of Jasper’s arm, a soft sheen of sweat cooling on her backside. There was a mark between her shoulderblades, reddish pink in the shape of a teardrop, peeking out from underneath the sundress. Jasper ran her pinky over it before exploring the rest of her body. Her legs were thin but strong, and she squirmed when Jasper’s hands dusted the bottoms of her feet.

Then her hand raced up Lapis’s leg and Lapis pulled the dress up over her arms and finally off.

“It was in the way,.” she explained. She bit her lip, watching Jasper regard her breasts. They were tiny like the rest of her, and Jasper wondered why Lapis even bothered wearing a sports bra at the gym.

“What?” Jasper leered lecherously. “You got to oogle me when I was carrying the boxes.”

They spent the rest of the afternoon in bed, touching and exploring each other’s bodies, in-between soft moments of rest. They truly fell asleep at one point, and Jasper woke to Lapis grinding directly against her cunt, the warmth and wetness mingling with Jasper’s own. They didn’t reach orgasm that way, or when Lapis sat on her face, her mouth placing attentive kisses on her hips. Or when she reached inside of her again, pulling out soft, guttural noises from Jasper’s throat. Though that time Jasper felt something open up inside her, a spark, a boiling heat in her gut that trembled to be let out. Lapis must have noticed it too, but if she did, she didn’t act like it, not batting a lash, nibbling Jasper’s vulva lips.

Eventually, the room darkened, even with the lighting inside. It was six, Jasper announced. Lapis had asked, yawning, both their stomachs growling. They had felt the call of hunger earlier, but the appetite for each other had won then. Now, their hunger could be staved off no more, their bellies aching.

It was Lapis’s idea that they order takeout. Jasper made a comment about how fast food was unhealthy and didn’t fit the dietary chart she had created for Lapis. Lapis stuck her tongue out, dialing the closest Chinese restaurant.

Jasper gave in once Lapis started speaking into the phone. She leaned into the mess of covers, watching Lapis pace the room, naked.

She hoped it wouldn’t be the only time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A friend drew fanart of a scene in this chapter! <3  
> http://irinamov.tumblr.com/post/122556320181/uploading-this-to-my-nsfw-blog-because-its-fanart  
> Thank you so much! I love it!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who has been reading, giving kudos, and commenting. Your love and support is encouraging.

Jasper wondered if it was too soon to text Lapis that night. She closed the door behind her. After spending the entire afternoon and most of the evening with Lapis, Jasper had just arrived home. 

She kicked off her shoes, not caring where they fell, though she did pause and consider placing them properly near the door. Lapis’s scolding tone came to mind when she had tossed her shoes unceremoniously at the other woman’s apartment. 

Lapis wasn’t here but Jasper found herself adjusting her shoes anyway. She couldn’t explain why she did it, and didn’t question it. She simply glanced at her phone and wondered again, if it was too soon to text.

The first few weeks of dating were a precarious circus act. When to call, when to text, and how long in-between departure and the next meetup? If she texted too soon, she might give the impression she was desperate, but she didn’t want Lapis to think she hated her.

There was one person who didn’t mind how often she texted, or at what hour. Jasper began typing a message to Peridot with one hand, then paused, her stomach rumbling. She grimaced in disgust. Her body wasn’t used to grease or fast food. It was simply amazing how Amethyst lived on fried food and greasy burgers, something she and Pearl could agree on.

Jasper searched the medicine cabinet for an antacid. The cabinet was full of vitamin supplements with a few stray bottles of cold medicine in various states of fullness. She found the antacids in the very back and knocked several bottles accidentally in the sink below as she tried to retrieve them.

She swallowed the medicine then went back to the living room for her phone. The message screen was still active, if a little dim from disuse, the text to Peridot half-finished. When she tapped the screen a letter icon popped up.

Excitement crossed her features and she opened the text.

 

**Lapis 8:27 PM**   
_Thank you for coming over today. It was fun._

Jasper began to reply back but backpedaled her words. Nothing sounded like the right thing to say. Instead, she went back to her message to Peridot.

**Jasper 8:28 PM**   
_Hey nerd. You still up?_

She held the phone, expecting an instant answer, but her phone was silent and stagnant in her hand. She attempted to text Lapis again and instantly felt lame.

**Jasper 8:30 PM**   
_I had fun too._

Neither woman replied to the texts and Jasper resigned herself to plopping down on the couch to watch TV. There was a program on called “The Art of War” that sounded interesting. It wasn’t and Jasper woke up in the middle of the night, the television still on, but playing a show vastly different than the one she had been watching. 

She rubbed her nose as she rose up, grunting at her surroundings. The room was dark, the television’s light beaming over her tired face. 

She reached for the phone to check the time. Peridot and Lapis were the furthest from her mind, the dream about corn dogs at war the closest (she blamed the junk food. Never again.). 

Before she saw the time, she saw she had one new message. She expected it to be Peridot at this hour, but it wasn’t and even stranger, Lapis had sent the text only thirty minutes ago.

**Lapis 1:45 AM**   
_How are you feeling?_

Jasper’s eyebrows raised at the question.

**Jasper 2:10 AM**   
_Fine. . . tired I guess._

It was a weird question that made her wonder how the other woman was, to ask something like that, this late at night. Peridot, she often texted late at night but until now, never Lapis. 

**Jasper 2:10 AM**   
_Are you okay?_

**Lapis 2:11 AM**   
_Yes. I’m exhausted also, but I woke up hungry all of a sudden. Eating a bowl of cereal then going to go back to bed. Thank you for checking up on me._

**Jasper 2:12 AM**   
_I told you Chinese food isn’t filling._

**Lapis 2:12 AM**   
_No. You told me it’s not good for me._

**Jasper 2:12 AM**   
_That too._

Jasper rose from the couch to change into her favorite worn jersey shirt and drink a glass of water, and set her alarm. She laid in bed, browsing the internet on her phone for one subject in particular. Unfortunately she was met with porn clips, camming sites with paywalls, and vague online encyclopedia articles. 

None of it was what she was looking for. When she searched “dominatrix” she found stiff clinical women in dresses, shiny and tight like black plastic bags, their personalities harsh and distant. None of the sharp playful lilt Lapis had, these ladies barked orders and demanded obedience. 

Lapis however had only suggested Jasper obey her, and only once did she raise her voice. Lapis didn’t force her. Jasper felt Lapis had gently guided her in the right direction. It was the complete opposite of Jasper’s training methods. Both were effective, but on different people.

 

**Jasper 2:12 AM**   
_So will next time involve chains or am I going to rearrange your furniture?_

She wondered if Lapis would reply. It had been fifteen minutes since their last exchange. The younger woman had said she was going to eat a bowl of cereal then go to bed. Her stomach flipped, worried that she had woken her, this late at night, for her selfish curiosity.

**Lapis 2:12 AM**   
_Is that what you want?_

**Jasper 2:12 AM**   
_I don’t know. It’s what I’ve seen in stuff._

Five minutes passed, and then, her phone buzzed, nearly vibrating off Jasper’s nightstand.

**Lapis 2:12 AM**   
_I’ll bring a book for you to borrow tomorrow._

**Jasper 2:12 AM**   
_Tomorrow?_

**Lapis 2:12 AM**   
_I have an appointment at the gym tomorrow. Remember? You’ll be training me._

Jasper shivered. As if falling back asleep wasn’t hard enough.

X

When Jasper came into work the next morning Peridot wasn’t at her usual spot at the reception desk. Jasper had shrugged, deciding to search for her co-worker later, and soon found her in the general workout room, fixing one of the treadmills, Garnet hovering nearby, arms crossed.

As Jasper neared, locking eyes with Garnet as she passed through the room, she heard snatches of Peridot’s complaints.

“You can’t just shake it! That’s not how you fix things!” 

“It works for the vending machine.” Garnet shrugged, watching Peridot and ignoring Jasper.

Peridot nearly snapped the screwdriver in her hands in half. “You-- you-- aagh! Now I have to check on the vending machine after this.”

Jasper frowned. Between Peridot’s temper and Garnet’s presence this was a bad time. She adjusted her duffel bag over her shoulder, giving a nod hello. Peridot looked up, wearing a desperate look, mouthing, ‘Save me.’ 

There were dark circles under her coworker's eyes and her hair was messier than usual. The text Jasper had sent last night to her still didn’t have a response and Jasper suspected that Peridot had stayed up all night, fixing the workout equipment. All the interesting stuff at work happened when Jasper was off. She was curious about the story behind this. Last time a teenager in blonde dreads had to be escorted out after harassing everyone with his investigative journalism.

After clocking in, Jasper opened her duffel bag, picking out her water bottle and a granola bar before locking her things up in her personal locker. Just as she closed the lock Amethyst bounded past her, her hair and clothes tousled, a frantic look in her eyes that only relaxed after she clocked in. Jasper raised her brows at this, Amethyst was a slacker extraordinaire who slept in and stayed up late, and more than occasionally came into work with a hangover. She didn’t care about her attendance unless she had one strike left. This was a recent thing; now that Rose was gone her job was actually threatened if she went over the tardy limit.

Amethyst caught her staring. “What?!” she barked.

Pearl emerged from Rose’s old office. “Don’t mind her, Jasper. She’s just mad because I tidied her apartment.”

“You broke in last night and messed up my mess!”

“The door was unlocked, Amethyst!”

“Yeah, well. You didn’t knock.” Amethyst shrugged.

Pearl pinched the bridge of her nose. “As if you would have answered. You sleep like a log, Amethyst. I was cleaning up until five in the morning and you never woke up once. And while we’re on the subject, I’m concerned that you never lock your door. Anyone could just waltz right in and--”

“Rearrange my furniture?”

“It was one time!” Pearl shouted, and then crossed her arms haughtily. “Anyway. Your apartment isn’t a health department violation now, you’re welcome.”

Jasper’s phone buzzed, a godsend. It was Peridot.

**Peridot 9:12 AM**   
_Sorry. Everything is breaking. I hate this place._

Jasper was about to answer when Pearl’s phone rang. She looked up briefly, thinking nothing of it, then heard Amethyst.

“Whoa. Is Peridot actually asking for help?”

The argument was completely forgotten in favor of something more interesting. Pearl puffed her chest out like a bird ruffling her feathers, smirking. 

“Well, it was only a matter of time.” She laughed as she and Amethyst walked past Jasper.

Jasper was certain that her friend would be too busy to hear date talk. It was a busy day already, things were breaking, Pearl and Amethyst were already getting into it, and Jasper had glanced at her schedule today. She was booked solid. 

She grinned, making a fist with one hand and punching it into her open palm. This was going to be an exciting day.

X

By the time evening rolled around, Jasper was exhausted, though Peridot probably felt even worse. Jasper caught only a blur of her from all over the facility, tinkering with the workout equipment. Jasper had grinned at that sight. It wasn’t often that she saw her friend be this active. Pearl was less frantic, more concerned about finishing the task perfectly. Amethyst had to be pulled in to help clean since Pearl was busy. Like Jasper, Garnet was busy with her classes and couldn’t help, but they both offered a smile of encouragement when they saw the others.

Steven didn’t know anything about machine repair and in between helping Amethyst clean (doing nearly all of it), he handed out drinks to his exhausted staff. He was just like his mother, they all thought, but no one said.

Lapis’s arrival caught Jasper off guard. She was distracted by everything that had happened in the gym throughout the day. Before Lapis’s presence pulled her away, Jasper had broken up a fight between Pearl and Peridot. It was unlike how Pearl and Amethyst argued. The words exchanged were a little harsher, more business-like, and Pearl’s voice didn’t have that sisterly inflection it tended to have when she was speaking to Amethyst. 

What was that saying-- “Too many cooks in the kitchen.” That idiom fit Pearl and Peridot’s relationship perfectly. They were both technical and vehemently thought they were right. Peridot hadn’t fought Jasper as she pulled her away to her next repair project, but not without vocal complaint (mostly towards Pearl). Jasper had left her at the vending machine and neither were surprised to see two handsome dents, one on each side of the machine the size of Garnet’s hands.

Lapis was waiting for her in the general workout room, already working on her stretches. She stopped as Jasper neared, hands tucked behind her back, smiling, deceptively innocent.

“It’s been a long time,” she joked.

“I almost don’t recognize you,” Jasper played around, resisting the urge to ruffle her hair. They weren’t at Lapis’s apartment anymore.

She had to remind herself again and again for the whole session. Lapis’s body in motion had been a temptation before, but now that Jasper had had a taste she couldn’t help but want it more and now.

Lapis appeared to feel the same. Sometimes she would begin to reach for her, and she paused a lot, lost in thought, staring at the other woman. She made Jasper repeat herself more than once. The gruff voice, she would later tell Jasper, sounded so different in bed. Sweeter. Hers.

It was awkward meeting again after sleeping together just yesterday, but not uncomfortable and neither disliked it. The training went fast, too fast, and if Jasper could have, she would have extended the time, but she had another client after Lapis.

They tried to prolong their time together. Jasper joined her in the locker room. Lapis took a quick shower as Jasper brushed her hair and re-tied it in a ponytail before reapplying deodorant. 

“You seem tired today,” Lapis commented, concerned.

“Yeah.” Jasper’s shrugged, the enthusiasm in her voice sagging slightly. “One of our staff had to help Peri-- I mean-- maintenance out so we’re short.”

Lapis had just finished drying herself with a towel and was dressing in a fresh set of clothes. Jasper watched her dress through the mirror reflecting her. For a moment Lapis stopped, looking straight at the mirror, then Jasper. After that she was slow to continue, and when she adjusted her underwear and the hem of her dress, her hands lingered and ran over her own body. She was staring down at herself as she did this, but they both knew Jasper was watching.

Jasper wasn’t sure where she found the self control to not push the other woman against the lockers and burrow her fingers inside of her. They probably could have done it-- the locker room was empty.

“So, you bring the book?” Jasper changed the subject in her mind. “What’s it about anyway?”

Lapis finished the last button on her shirt dress, her eyes a little wide in surprise. She had almost forgotten the book until Jasper mentioned it. She unzipped a compartment of her backpack and pulled out a worn softcover book, the back cover slightly dog-eared, and handed it to Jasper. During the exchange their fingers deliberately touched.

The cover of the book was black with silver chains patterned over it. The Book of Kink was its title and though Jasper wasn’t one for reading she was instantly intrigued. She wanted to read it as soon as Lapis left, but there was her next client first, her second to last one for the night.

She tried to read it before she met with her last client. Peridot was still working on the elliptical trainer and Jasper assumed Pearl was working on the other exercise machines. The bodybuilder thought she would have some privacy reading at the front desk but Pearl smiled at her, waving.

“Peridot chased me off,” Pearl explained as Jasper tried to nonchalantly take a seat next to her. She smelled like talc and Rose’s favorite perfume.

Pearl hummed and went back to typing. Jasper raised an eyebrow. “Pretty sure Peridot doesn’t want you doing her paperwork either.”

Pearl rolled her eyes. “Please. She’ll thank me later.” She clucked her tongue. “Her system is so disorganized.”

Jasper sat back in her chair, relaxing after a long day. She reached for her duffel bag and pulled out a granola bar, unaware that the spine of the book crept out into view.

“Is that a book?” Pearl asked.

“Yeah,” Jasper said quickly. 

“I thought you didn’t like reading,” Pearl said, surprised, and too curious for Jasper’s comfort.

Jasper shrugged. “ It looked good.”

“May I see it?”

“Why?!” 

Pearl jumped a little at her tone but smiled invitingly. “I just want to know what sort of book would make you read is all.” She laughed a little. “I’m not making fun of you. I’m just curious.”

Jasper’s mouth fell open, unsure what to say without drawing Pearl’s attention, but Pearl darted for the book before she could retort or zip the bag back up. 

Pearl held the cover close to her face, her long nose, nearly poking the book. “The book of wha. . .?” She turned it to the back cover, flipped it open, then dropped it.

Jasper jumped out of her chair, face hot and reaching for the book. Pearl reached for it too, captured it before her, and shakily handed it back. “W-well. That certainly. . . wasn’t what I expected.” She shook as she chuckled uncomfortably. “Though you really shouldn’t be reading those sort of books on the clock. It’s... inappropriate.”

Jasper was just thankful and surprised that Pearl didn’t report her. Pearl was too flabbergasted , blushing bright pink and too embarrassed to seriously reprimand Jasper.

Jasper stuffed the book back in her bag and stomped off, the atmosphere between them suddenly too awkward for either of them to handle.

Jasper went back to the hallway where the vending machine was for a sports drink. The vending machine was fixed now, but the indentations from Garnet’s hands remained. Jasper placed her hands over the indentations and was pleased to see that her hands were bigger than Garnet’s. Little victories.

She wondered what Steven and Greg were going to tell the vending machine company when they asked how the machine was defaced. Jasper hoped she was working the day that happened. Greg wasn’t exactly the greatest at handling gym stuff and she always got a small laugh out of it.

Despite his inexperience, Greg did try his best and she respected him for that. But that didn't stop her from being amused.

After cooling down in the breakroom, Jasper trained her final client. Her adrenaline still rushed from Pearl catching her with that book, which helped pull her through the rest of her shift. Jasper didn’t fully realize how tired she was until she came home and collapsed on the coach.

She was tired, and she turned the TV on, but she couldn’t and didn’t want to fall asleep. She pulled the book out of her bag and flipped it open. Finally, she was alone and could read the book Lapis let her borrow. She was looking forward to finding answers to the questions she couldn’t find on her own.

Aside from the illustrations of toys and women and men in tight outfits or nothing at all, Jasper found the book surprisingly boring. It wasn’t dry and she expected that, but she just couldn’t get into it. For a moment Jasper began to doubt she was interested in the whole “kink” thing but with her doubts drifted thoughts of how she'd felt moving boxes for Lapis, serving her in the frilly bra and underwear set. There was something there that Jasper couldn't imagine existing before and she wanted more. She saw pictures of a man facing the floor on his hands and knees, a woman in latex perched atop him, and pictured herself and Lapis in the same position. It would be easy for Lapis to ride Jasper around like a horse; they were the right sizes for that sort of play.

It wasn’t that Jasper wasn’t interested; it was that quite frankly, Jasper didn’t like to read. Pearl always chastised her for watching the movie rather than reading the book. Jasper sighed, disheartened but determined to work her way through the book. She didn’t know how else she was going to get the information she needed.

Five pages in she grumbled in irritably and flipped through rest of the book, huffing. She stopped on a page, just glancing down, and she nearly slammed the book shut when the page she'd dismissed caught her eye.

It was a list of online resources including videos and podcasts. Jasper immediately reached for her phone and searched for the ones listed in the book. The first two sites were inactive but the rest were still up and running. 

Jasper muted the TV and watched the video she found on her phone instead. For the first time she fell asleep with the TV off, in her room rather than on the couch.

She downloaded podcasts that night. The next morning she listened to them as she jogged and completed her daily morning workouts. She didn't even pause over breakfast, soaking in every audible word like the french toast soaking up the honey on her plate.

**Lapis 7:12 AM**   
_How is the book?_

**Jasper 7:12 AM**   
_I read five pages and stopped reading. I found interesting podcasts and other stuff through it._

Jasper swallowed, wondering if Lapis would be offended, but Jasper couldn’t help it. She learned differently.

 **Lapis 7:12 AM**  
 _That’s good._

Jasper heaved a sigh of relief and swallowed her breakfast.

**Lapis 7:13 AM**   
_Anything interesting you found?_

Jasper texted back, her body buzzing with glee sharing the things that she learned and what she wanted to try. She mentioned the picture of the man carrying the latex woman on his back and not so casually pointed out their body types would be perfect for that. She could almost hear Lapis chuckling at that observation. Jasper was flushed, her heart pounding. All they were doing was texting. Jasper was in her kitchen, her breakfast cooling, and Lapis was in the teacher’s lounge ignoring the ungraded papers, but Jasper still felt the push and pull of their conversation: the trepidation that Lapis wouldn’t like her ideas, hanging on the anticipation that she would agree. The joy she felt when she realized they had similar interests. That they were going to do this. They were planning this. 

Jasper was so immersed in their conversation that she was almost late for work and she had to pitch the rest of her cold breakfast in the trash. She felt like Amethyst did yesterday, rushing to clock in. However, unlike Amethyst, Jasper masked her steps, as if she wasn’t trying to make it to work at breakneck speed. Amethyst clocked in after her, out of breath.

X

“Peri still fixing treadmills?” Jasper asked, surprised to see Pearl at the front desk this morning. She was also amazed when Peridot didn’t push the ex-ballerina away from the front desk, but that probably couldn’t be helped. When Peridot had a difficult project it threw the rest of the staff off balance. Jasper wondered why they hadn’t hired anyone new yet. She would ask Steven later.

“You didn’t hear?” Pearl asked, voice soft. 

“No?” Jasper groused, concerned.

“She crawled into work this morning and then passed out on the floor. She tried to say she wasn’t tired but. . . well, she was. Garnet had to drive her home.” Pearl frowned. She began to absently run her finger over the desk, checking for crumbs. A habit. Jasper faintly noticed she was a little pink in the face and kept averting her eyes from Jasper, the book still fresh in her thoughts. But Jasper wasn’t thinking about that. Her main concern was Peridot.

**Jasper 9:10 AM**   
_You okay, nerd?_

**Peridot 9:111 AM**   
_I’m fine. I’m tired and trying to sleep but I can’t. Because I’m fucking dying._

Jasper grinned. With that snappy attitude, she was going to be fine.

**Jasper 9:12 AM**   
_All right if I visit you later tonight?_

**Peridot 9:12 AM**   
_Yeah. Bring something to eat on your way too._

**Peridot 9:12 AM**   
_We need to catch up. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I’m curious how your date turned out._

X

After work, Jasper picked up sub sandwiches from that place Peridot liked and headed straight to her apartment. The apartment was cramped, filled with more computer parts than furniture; Jasper had to watch her step the entire time. Peridot was organized with her computer files but not with the rest of her surroundings. 

There wasn’t a couch so they hung out in her bedroom. The futon was uncomfortable but they made it work, throwing on as much covers as needed. At some point Lapis texted her, inviting Jasper to come over, and as tempting as that was, she declined, explaining that her friend was sick.

Lapis was understanding. Jasper smiled, finding herself liking the other woman more and more. Usually, the women Jasper dated would yell, texting in all caps, or hang up if she said she was visiting Peridot instead. Although Jasper had had a crush on her and they were close, they weren’t dating and a lot of people didn’t understand that. It didn’t help that Amethyst made jokes that the two were married. 

“Having to deal with Jasper day to day is hard enough. I don’t want to cement that bond with a marriage license,” Peridot had once retorted. 

That comment had hurt Jasper at the time, but now she was a little relieved they weren’t dating-- she could hardly tolerate all the computer parts on the floor, she stepped on them sometimes and they hurt like stray Lego pieces. She didn’t want that in her own house.

Peridot put in a movie and they sat back, eating their sandwiches. It was a movie they had seen a dozen times and the volume was low. 

Her friend looked tired still, but sounded less grouchy than earlier this morning (if that was possible). She was almost smiling, taking large bites out of her Italian sub sandwich, and before she asked, Jasper already knew what was on her mind.

“So, how was the ‘training?’” 

Jasper stiffened at the word ‘training.’ Peridot had been just as clueless as Jasper, mistaking Lapis’s invitation for an honest workout session. Jasper chewed the bite in her mouth longer than needed. Her thoughts drifted to her own image reflected back at her, wearing the frilly white bra and underwear set, and Lapis staring her up and down through red vintage glasses. 

She had no idea what she was going to say.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long. It was a booger to write. Thank you to anyone who read/kudos or commented. You're all sweet. <3

In the past, Jasper had bragged about the dates she had, and, to Peridot’s chagrin, also shared gritty details about her sex life. Jasper was an open book, especially with her best friend. There wasn’t much to hide once your friend learned you had a crush on them or you had seen each other naked. There wasn’t much to hide when your friend saw you at your worst, and still texted to make sure you were okay.

Jasper couldn’t remember the last time she had lied to Peridot. Maybe that one time when Peridot found her Christmas present in plain sight on Jasper’s kitchen table. Did it count that Jasper had begun to open her mouth to lie? She had ended up admitting that the video card was Peridot’s gift.

Peridot swallowed the bite she was chewing, and as if remembering that Jasper often overshared, said, “You don’t have to tell me everything. Please don’t. Just. You had fun, right?”

Jasper nodded and she wondered if Peridot saw the relief on her brow. The room was hot, even with the air conditioning on at full blast. Peridot’s apartment held many computers, monitors, and various parts, and she insisted on keeping them on at all times. Jasper thought it was a waste of electricity, even after Peridot explained that she made money on the side by allowing companies to borrow her server space. 

“I helped her move some boxes,” Jasper grunted, not mentioning the frilly white lingerie. She waited for Peridot to call bullshit on her, to catch on to her aloof answer. But she simply turned the volume up to the T.V. Jasper began to relax, as much as she could in the flimsy futon mattress. She could feel the hard wire frame through the cheap mattress and blankets they had piled on.

“Can I ask you something?” Peridot turned to her. Jasper’s heart stopped, eyes wide. 

Her shoulders stiffened, like she was ready to take on a tackle. “Yeah?” 

“Hand me my soda?”

Jasper’s back straightened, imagining a different question. Or an accusation that she was hiding something. A few seconds passed and her mind slowly registered Peridot’s request. She awkwardly reached for the soda and handed it to her, unaware that she was blushing, or that Peridot smirked. 

 

X

“Your friend is the front desk clerk at the gym, right?” Lapis asked, squeezing a lemon in her ice tea.

“Yeah,” Jasper gruffly replied. She hadn’t touched the menu the server set in front of her. She already knew what she was going to order; a reuben sandwich. “Why?”

Lapis briefly raised her eyes from the menu spread out on the table in front of her like a map. “How is she?”

Jasper paused to read Lapis’s face, checking for brows knitted in consternation or her lips puckered in contempt. But her face was placid and open with genuine concern and Jasper answered, “She’s all right now. She just needed rest. Thanks for asking and for um…” She wondered if she should bring this up. “For not being jealous.”

Lapis chuckled. “Did your other girlfriends get jealous?” 

Before Jasper could reply, Lapis folded her menu. “I can see why-- at first I thought the two of you were dating. And then the short one said you were married, but then she laughed so I didn’t really believe her.”

“That was Amethyst,” Jasper said, and then the server came to take their order. Once he left, Lapis leaned forward, taking Jasper’s hand. 

“Is it weird being that close to a friend?” Jasper asked. She didn’t think so, but she wondered sometimes and she seeked Lapis’s approval.

Lapis shrugged, stroking Jasper's thumb. “That’s normal if you’ve grown up together, I think.”

“But we didn’t-- we’re not childhood friends.”

“So how did you two meet?”

Jasper leaned back slightly, picking up her glass of water, still holding Lapis’s hand with the other. “It’s a boring story. I was outside the cell phone booth trying to figure out my new phone. They stopped carrying the flip phone models so I had to get a smartphone.” She squinted, watching Lapis grin. “Don’t even...”

“You’re an old fart,” Lapis teased.

“You’re the fart,” Jasper bit back.

“At least I’m not an old fart.” Lapis smirked, squeezing her hand. “So you were saying...”

Jasper shot her a dirty look but continued. She told her how Peridot was the first person to exit the mall after her. It wasn’t just that she was the first person she saw; Peridot had also been a customer she had vaguely noticed while she was paying for her new phone. She looked young and like a huge dork. 

“She looked like one of those kids I used to beat up in school,” Jasper blurted out. 

Lapis’s eyebrows shot up and Jasper realized what she had said. Sometimes she wished mouths came with emergency brakes. Peridot said they did actually. It was called a ‘filter.’ But Jasper had a terrible filter. 

“You were a bully?” 

Jasper stiffened, nodding gravely. “Yeah. But only until high school.”

Lapis’s hand over Jasper’s loosened, but at least, Jasper thought, she didn’t draw away. 

“That’s interesting,” Lapis said quietly.

“Not really,” Jasper said gruffly, turning away. “I was just a dumb kid. I regret it all the time.”

“Is that why you’re a personal trainer?”

Jasper nodded. The quiet dragged on as their food was placed in front of them. Lapis picked up her fork to prod her omelet but Jasper didn’t even touch her sandwich, suddenly losing her appetite.

“...Do you hate me now?” Her hand was cold now that Lapis wasn’t holding it.

Lapis set her fork and knife down. 

“I’m trying to make up for it,” Jasper said, chin tilted down. “I want to help people get stronger, or find their own strength. Dragging people down, it felt good at first, but it never lasted. It was like a drug-- once I lost the high I felt shittier than I did before.”

Jasper heaved a sigh and shot up from her seat, overturning the chair she was sitting in. She was about to leave; Lapis stopped her, her tiny hand halfway wrapped around Jasper’s wrist, tethering her to the spot. 

“I don’t hate you,” she said softly, and then, with more command; “sit down.”

Jasper’s pulse jumped under Lapis’s fingertips, the pull of command and reassurance binding her to the spot. She slowly picked her chair up from the patio floor and sat down. She knew she couldn’t look Lapis straight in the eye and resigned herself to staring at her sandwich. It was silent and agreeable. It was also growing cold.

“Not a lot of people realize they were wrong, you know,” Lapis said, weaving their fingers. “...I did a lot of terrible things in the past too,” she admitted. “You feel angry about something, so you lash out because you're trapped and you don’t know what else to do. You don’t know that there’s another way.”

Jasper nodded, giving her hand a squeeze. Lapis returned the gesture, and despite the darkness of the conversation, they both began to smile, seeing a light within each other.

They ate their lunch one-handed. It was awkward and they took longer to finish their plates than usual, but it didn’t feel right to let go. They held hands out of the restaurant and in the car too. Jasper was reluctant to drop Lapis off at the high school, but they both had to go back to work. 

“I’ll see you later tonight.” Lapis kissed her cheek and they finally let go. 

X

When Lapis arrived at her house later than night they grasped at each other with a violence. The door locked behind Lapis and the starched red bolero was thrown to the floor. Jasper’s tank top followed, and then Lapis’s dress. 

Lapis grasped every part of Jasper she could get her hands on. Jasper was tempted to do the same but she was afraid of her own strength. “I don’t want to hurt you.” 

Lapi’s nails grazed her. The points were like kitten claws pressing into her firm, muscular backside. 

“Can I hurt you?” she breathed, and Jasper shuddered to say yes. 

The bodybuilder’s hands gripped and twisted the front of her boxers, Lapis’s nails dragging down her back. She was gentle before she was harsh: light pinches and touches to boil the blood underneath the skin. She nipped, bit and sucked, all while gauging Jasper’s reactions, finding her limits, uncovering her pleasure. She did not push when she found limits, pocketing the information for later. 

The light stings and sharp flashes of pain were cathartic after their conversation during lunch. The euphoria cleared Jasper’s thoughts and her personal agony. For a moment she felt less like a monster, less like anything. Just flesh and fire. 

She did not have to think. She let go. Lapis chose for her, chose to part her lips with her tongue and pry her legs apart. She led her to the floor and perched over Jasper’s eager mouth, careful not to press against her broken nose. 

“There!” she moaned, shifting her weight to meet Jasper’s tongue. She crumbled forward, shaking. Jasper’s hair was pooled around Lapis’s legs. She took handfuls of hair in her fists, breathing sharply. Her forehead pressed into the carpeted floor, back arched, her body aching for release. Jasper moaned against her clit, stimulated by the sound of the other woman’s voice and the tremors she was pulling from her body. 

Lapis was about to come. Jasper could feel her tiny form vibrate under her fingers like a string, but she was holding herself back, and Jasper wondered if it was because Lapis was worried she would make Jasper jealous. 

“Come,” she said, pulling away for a second, her words muffled underneath her, mouthing the demand against the cunt mounted on her face. She wanted Lapis to come, to make her feel good. Jasper wanted to feel useful. She wanted to know she could make someone, especially Lapis, happy. 

Jasper was determined, her fingers reached inside the other woman, and her pinky rubbed between her ass cheeks. Lapis was dripping straight into her mouth, and again Jasper asked her to come. She was begging and relentless. She kissed and sucked the swollen bud between pursed lips, and her pinky slipped inside the other hole. She felt Lapis clench around her fingers, and felt victorious, rewarded with beautiful hearty moans that wouldn’t stop until Lapis fell beside her. Jasper regretted not being able to watch Lapis’s face contort with pleasure, but she could see the aftermath, now facing her. Lapis’s bangs clung to the sweat on her brow and her nose, cheeks, and lips were red and ripe. 

Jasper leaned forward to kiss her and Lapis drew back slightly, laughing. She wiped Jasper’s lips and chin with her thumb. 

“You have something… there.”

“Oh really?” 

“Yeah, I got it.” 

She scooted closer to the larger woman, running her hands over her biceps, then over her chest. She pinched the pert nipples under her fingers. Jasper gasped and Lapis smirked, giving a twist. “You’re such a messy eater.”

“Enthusiastic,” Jasper corrected.

Lapis’s fingernails grazed her abs, her hands sought out the soft tuft of hair between Jasper’s legs and cupped her sex. Jasper was hot under her hand, and when she slipped her middle and forefinger between the vulva lips, her fingers came back wet. 

“Do you like pleasing me that much?” Lapis cooed, gently drawing circles around Jasper’s clit. Her arousal was already swollen, and her cunt throbbed and ached for the younger woman. She said nothing, but nodded, breathless. 

“Your eyelashes,” Lapis said, then kissed Jasper’s eyelids. Her lips brushed the long lashes and when Jasper opened her eyes again she found Lapis staring at her. “You’re beautiful,” She whispered. The words lanced straight through muscle, stirring Jasper’s insides. 

She had been called a lot of things: a brute, a stud, buff and muscular. Handsome even, despite her broken nose. But no one had called her beautiful without an edge of sarcasm. Not since she could remember.

“Am not,” she rasped, turning away. Lapis caught her chin, forcing her to face her. She slipped her fingers inside Jasper’s sex, pulling free a moan.

“Yes you are,” she said sternly. Her thumb pressed against her clit as she thrust her fingers in and out. Jasper didn’t think she was going to come-- but she did think if Lapis kept this up, she would go insane.

“Lapis...” she gasped, nails raking into the carpet. 

“Yes. . ?” Her eyes were hooded, watching Jasper quiver under her, thoroughly amused. 

“Lapis-- Lap--” Jasper shuddered, overwhelmed by the sensation. Without thinking she clamped her thighs together and wrenched herself away from the smaller woman, panting. 

“Are you okay?”

Jasper nodded, red with embarrassment. “Sorry.”

Lapis shook her head. “Don’t be.” She caressed Jasper’s arm, concerned. “Too much?”

Jasper nodded again. “You’re not mad?”

Lapis’s eyebrows shot up and disappeared under her bangs. “No?”

“But you’re the dom and I didn’t, you know...“ She gestured. “Take it.”

“I didn’t expect you to. We never negotiated something like that.”

At Jasper’s confused silence Lapis continued, “Since we’re on that subject, let’s discuss your limits.”

“Oh that’s easy-- I don’t have any,” Jasper crowed, her voice only slightly raspy.

“Everyone has limits,” Lapis said, her voice steely. “This isn’t a contest. This is about us and our safety.”

“You first.” The vulnerability, the ability to admit weakness, like many things with Lapis, was new to Jasper. It had scared her during lunch and especially now. She wondered if Lapis would judge her and become disinterested before they started.

“Well,” Lapis said, looking at the ceiling, drawing out her thoughts. Jasper’s hand found hers and Lapis latched onto it. “I’m claustrophobic. Severely. And… you can’t leave marks on weekdays since I’m a teacher. Only do it if I give you permission.”

“Same here.”

Lapis smiled. They were making progress. “What about you?”

Jasper was beginning to feel at ease but as a precaution asked, “Promise not to laugh?” 

She waited for Lapis to nod before speaking again. Once she saw how receptive Lapis was, she became more confident. She told her everything: what made her squeamish, what she was on the fence about, her curiosities and things she was dying for them to try. There were a few things she and Lapis disagreed with; Lapis liked breathplay, particularly when paired with water, but that scared Jasper.

“I almost drowned once,” she explained, holding her breath. But Lapis didn’t tease or try to change her mind. She accepted this and they moved on. As they spoke, they both found there were more things they agreed with than disagreed on. They lost track of time, only aware of its passing when Lapis started to fall asleep. 

“Let’s get you into bed.” Jasper stood and lifted the smaller woman in her arms, again, reminding Jasper that their power dynamic was unexpected. 

“I can carry you,” Lapis groggily offered, and Jasper wondered if she had fallen into a dream already.

“I’d like to see you try.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now that it's laid out that they have negotiated things we can assume whatever else happens in future chapters is consensual. From here on out the kink is going to be dialed up. I'll put the kink/s in the beginning notes so people can avoid things that make them uncomfortable.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm floored by all the comments. Thank you all so much! <3 
> 
> Contained in this chapter is teacher/student roleplay, some spanking, and verbal humiliation.

“You’re late,” Lapis greeted her, sitting, legs crossed.

Jasper slammed the door behind her (locked it also, per her command) and took a seat at her desk. It was tiny. She could barely fit her legs under the table, so she slouched for comfort and to keep character. Which wasn’t hard because she had been a no good jock back when she had attended high school. The difference was, her teachers had never been as young and attractive as Lapis, and she never actually cared if she was tardy. She thought she had been on time. She tried to be. Maybe Lapis was just saying she was late to create atmosphere, to test Jasper’s patience, but she didn’t dare openly question her. She was in enough trouble already.

Her first mistake was disrupting the class. Lapis wasn’t amused by Jasper’s crass jokes, riling everyone else up (in her defense; she was bored). Her second and most recent mistake was being late for after school detention with the strictest and most attractive teacher on campus. Jasper felt simultaneous lucky and fucked. 

It wasn’t in her best interests to make her crush mad, to instigate her anger; she knew this. But the alternative was worse. Teacher’s pets and other well-behaved students blended into the background. Lapis was sated by their blind obedience. Troublemakers like Jasper grabbed her attention, and their obedience had to be fought for. Jasper liked to think the flicker in Ms. Lazuli’s eyes was intrigue flecked with anger. It was too bold and also naive to think she had a chance, but when Lapis set her gaze firmly on Jasper-- like now-- Jasper wanted to test the limits. She felt Lapis wanted to as well, her fingers caressing the edge of Jasper’s desk. 

Lapis planted her hands on the desk, leaning forward, eyes level with Jasper’s. The top buttons of her blouse were undone, the front loose. Jasper couldn’t help but take a peek. Ms. Lazuli had no cleavage to boast of, but Jasper looked down her shirt and saw a flash of nipple. 

Lapis cleared her throat and Jasper jerked her head up, caught red-handed. She leaned back in her chair, giving an easy lecherous smile. “Well, I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Late,” Lapis said snippily.

“Yeah, sorry about that.”

“Ma’am.”

“Sorry, ma’am,” Jasper corrected herself but her voice was still lazy, posture too relaxed and legs spread out in an undignified manner. 

“Do you know why you’re here?” Lapis asked. She leaned slightly against the desk. Her waist was in reach. She smelled like sea salt and lemons. Jasper opened her mouth to answer and paused because she could taste Ms. Lazuli on the tip of her tongue. She tasted like rain and Jasper thought that if she touched her that her skin would be hot and wet. There was an air of humidity to her that pressed in on Jasper, that made it hard to breathe in her presence.

Lapis sighed. Her question unanswered, she straightened. “Well, perhaps a little punishment will remind you. You must be uncomfortable, cramming yourself under that desk. Stand up.”

This time Jasper didn’t hesitate, her slacker facade dismantling in favor of pleasing her favorite teacher. They were alone. She didn’t have to wear a mask. She wondered if Lapis knew that she disrupted the class just so she could call on her later. This was the only time they could have alone together. And though nothing had ever happened before, it could. Lapis’s blouse was slightly undone, and the way she rested her hand against Jasper’s back wasn't professional. 

“Good. Now bend over.” 

Jasper exhaled as she bent over the desk. Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was hammering against her backside instead of her chest. Could Lapis feel her heart pounding under the palm of her hand? 

“If only you were this obedient in class,” Lapis lamented. Her hands drifted and Jasper felt a chill run down her spine and a burst of warmth shoot below her gut at the same time. 

“I wouldn’t be here if I was.” Jasper managed a laugh, despite the shyness clouding her pride. 

“Do you like causing me trouble?” Lapis asked.

“...No,” Jasper decided to answer. Lapis sounded slightly disappointed. 

“That’s a shame,” she said, her hand slipping under the waistband of Jasper’s jersey shorts. Her nails were long and sharp and dragged across Jasper’s ass, leaving faint red lines. “I like trouble. I like you,” she whispered, words warm against Jasper's earlobe.

Jasper shivered before Lapis pulled her pants down. They were behind the closed doors of Lapis’s classroom, but their privacy wasn’t guaranteed. The sun was still bright outside, three o’clock but early enough to get caught. Jasper thought she heard students outside, congregating in the courtyard for afterschool activities. Ones less interesting than the detention Jasper was in now. 

The doors could not be locked. Anyone could step inside and see her bent over the desk, shorts around her ankles. Her ass faced the door and she was anxious of that fact. Lapis’s coos and caresses could not calm her ragged breaths, or ease the tension in her legs. Lapis had no intent to soothe her. She stroked the woman under her like a cat, but talked to her like she was her prisoner. She told Jasper all the dues she owed for making Lapis’s job difficult. She kneaded into Jasper’s buttocks and thighs as she she described how she would punish her. She scratched and pinched, then reprimanded her if she whined. 

“It’s going to be worse than that.” Her nails dug into skin again. The scratch marks had all merged into red crosses and a bruise the size of a penny was beginning to develop on the right cheek. 

They were both well aware that Jasper’s whines were not solely pain. There was a hitch of pleasure layered beneath the cries of torture. It fluctuated like waves, ebbing and flowing throughout her body. Lapis’s lips touched behind her ear, just above her neck and she felt it in her cunt. Lapis’s nails pricked and scratched her backside and she felt it culminate there too. Lapis stripped her down and touched her everywhere, except for her cunt, warm and wet and aching. She needed the other woman so badly. She struggled to voice this need, aware that she didn’t deserve it. She grunted and groaned, hoping to entice her, and took each blow in stride to curry Lapis’s favor. 

Finally, it was all too much. Jasper begged, “Lapis, please. . .” 

She couldn’t see Lapis’s face, but she could feel the glare heating her backside. “Try that again.”

“Ms. Lazuli, please!”

“Better.”

“Please, please fuck me, Ms. Lazuli,” Jasper moaned. Lapis’s hands were still on her, but not in the places she longed to be touched. She angled her body, offering suggestion, but Lapis’s hands only retreated further.

“You know I can’t do that, Jasper,” Lapis said evenly. “You’ve been bad. Bad behavior can’t be rewarded.”

“I can be good.”

“That’s what you always say. Your promises are as empty as your brain.” Lapis sighed, breath playing against her earlobe. “It’s a shame. I guess I’ll just have to make you scream my name another way.”

There was a distinct pause. Lapis was reaching for something. Jasper knew what before it it connected with her ass. It was the bamboo paddle Ms. Lazuli kept in her drawer, as long and narrow as a ruler but much more fearsome. Jasper’s buttocks tensed up at the thought. 

“Relax.” Lapis massaged her bottom, the stern hollow tone evaporating from her voice in place of encouragement. “It will hurt more if you tense up. You’re so strong, Jasper. If anyone can take my punishments, it’s you.” 

Jasper relaxed at the touch and Lapis’s praise and within seconds the first blow connected with her ass. The sharp sound of wood against her flesh made the blood rise up her face. She held back a scream.

“Let it out, Jasper.”

But she couldn’t, not yet. Her pride wouldn’t allow it. The paddle slapped her ass again: one, two, one, two. A rhythm slowly developed, slow gentle blows that made her complacent. It still hurt, but she was warmed up and confident she could take it. The spanking escalated again, the rhythm broken. Lapis slapped her in-between gentle caresses. The sting was sharp, spreading to Jasper’s cunt. She moaned, and in the back of her mind she wondered if Lapis could make her come this way. The apprehension was replaced with anticipation. With each blow Jasper felt herself edge closer. She wondered if Lapis noticed. She wondered if Lapis would let her come. 

“Two more.”

“Please-- I can take more!”

“Two more,” Lapis said again and Jasper hung her head, nodding.

“I’m sorry I was late.”

The paddle descended and she howled, shuddering, screaming Lapis’s name.

“One.”

“I’ll behave.”

The paddle hung in the air, teasing. Lapis grimly smiled. “Will you?”

“Yes.”

“Show me. Next time, don’t distract my class. Next time, arrive on time.” Her fingers coasted over muscle and the breadth of Jasper’s body. She reached under and for a brief moment teased Jasper’s clit, pinching. Then her hand moved away and just as quickly she delivered the final blow.

“Two.” 

Jasper noticed Lapis’s breath hitch as she spoke. She was tempted to run her hand up Lapis’s leg and bunch the tight pencil skirt up around her waist. She could reach her hand under the waistband of Lapis’s underwear, but she could also just slip two fingers between the teacher’s legs and feel the moisture seep through the fabric of both her panties and hose. The bold rush to do so was as tempting as slipping her other hand in the crevice of Lapis’s blouse and palming the breast peeking out.

“Don’t.” Lapis knew exactly what Jasper was thinking and it was the worst punishment. Worse than the humiliation, denial of pleasure, or the spanking. The order intensified her desires. Don’t was an invitation. Don’t made her want it, want Lapis more.

Lapis stroked her hair, kissed her softly. The costume of her role as the stern teacher came undone as she wrapped a blanket around Jasper and offered her a cup of water. 

“Can you move? The couch will be more comfortable.”

Jasper nodded and Lapis held her arm, leading her to the couch. Lapis sat down beside her, stroking her and whispering kind words. They kissed and sat in silence as they made sense of everything, the rush of adrenaline slowly dying. It was cold suddenly and Jasper pulled Lapis into her lap to warm and also comfort each other.

“Can I have another drink of water and something to eat?” Jasper asked, breaking the silence.

Lapis stirred to go to the kitchen, returning with another cup of water and banana. Jasper ate and drank in silence, watching Lapis sink into the couch next to her, her legs drawn across Jasper’s lap. In the weeks throughout their relationship since negotiation Lapis had trained her and learned Jasper’s reactions. Jasper learned Lapis’s as well through quiet observation, often through blunt questions. Eventually they had honed a rhythm to their scenes and aftercare. Always, Lapis would check on Jasper immediately afterwards and before they parted, but watching the other woman now, her eyes closed and catching her breath, Jasper realized she had never asked Lapis the same question.

“How are you?” she asked. Lapis’s eyes opened and she gave her a soft, breathy smile. She looked blissfully exhausted. 

“Great, thank you.” She pressed her cheek to Jasper’s bicep. “Did you have fun?”

Jasper nodded, drawing her close, under the blanket with her. “Hey. I kinda felt something near the end..."

Lapis’s brows shot up and she began to sit up, but Jasper held her down, shaking her head. “It wasn’t anything bad. Don’t worry. It was a good thing. It felt almost like I was going to come. Is that possible?” And am I weird? she thought in the back of her mind.

“It’s possible. . . honestly, I couldn’t tell. If you want me to keep going next time you can ask. It’s not important, but I’d like to make you come.”

Jasper kissed her forehead. “I’d like to come for you, Mistress.” 

X

Jasper was surprised that she hadn’t experienced the drop yet. She was accustomed to it happening early in the morning. The first time it happened she was thrown off. She had never had trouble getting up in the morning, always eager to start the day, but the first morning after she and Lapis had really started her training she just wanted to lay in bed. Her daily morning workout had helped, and Lapis’s concern. They texted each other during their breaks at work to check up on each other or just to keep in touch. 

It was past noon the next day and though Jasper’s butt was sore she had yet to crash. She noticed the bruises when she sat down to use the restroom. It hurt to sit down. There were purple splotches on her ass cheeks, small dots like small violet blooms. She stared at herself in the mirror for a long while afterwards, admiring Lapis’s handiwork, grinning at the thought that each time she sat down or saw her bruises she would think of her mistress and the night they had had together. 

She wondered if Peridot noticed her discomfort as she sat next to her at the front desk. Lately, the only thing she remarked was, “Well, you’re awfully giddy.” And then, “Please. No details,” when Jasper bristled with glee.

The only person who said anything was Steven. It was payday and he was handing out checks. He gave Peridot and Jasper theirs and Peridot made a statement about how pointless this was-- everyone who worked at the gym had direct deposit. 

Steven nodded, agreeing. “I have to-- it’s company policy. There’s a piece of candy and a coupon for a car wash inside, though, so even if it’s just a copy of your check there’s a prize!”

It was difficult to argue with Rose’s son. He was so earnest and good, doing his best to follow his mother’s legacy. In the beginning they had all exchanged questioning glances before finally saying thank you. Now, they didn’t bat an eye at the “prizes” left in the envelopes also containing their check stubs.

Jasper didn’t eat candy and planned to give her piece to Peridot, but only once Steven left. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

She turned the toffee over in her hands as she signed the paperwork for her check. Steven peered up at her from over the clipboard.

“What?” She grumbled, then frowned a little. She didn’t mean to say that so harshly. 

A grin slowly crept up Steven’s face. “You’re glowing.”

Jasper flushed, shoving the clipboard back. “Yeah. So?”

Peridot took this opportunity to throw Jasper under the bus. “Must be Jasper’s new girlfriend.” She winked horribly.

Steven gasped. Jasper drove her knee into Peridot’s thigh from under the desk, foregoing the intense urge to stomp on her foot. 

“Or it’s this new workout routine I’ve been ironing out,” Jasper lied, glaring at Peridot, trying to ignore Steven’s prying gaze.

“Suuure, it is.” Steven winked.

Jasper abruptly stood up, stomping away. “I just remembered I need to check on the weights.” As she stormed off she heard Steven ask, "Who is it? Someone I know?"

Peridot snickered and Jasper knew she wouldn't have a moment's peace in the future, not until Steven found out who her girlfriend is and pried her for details. Unlike Peridot, Jasper didn't feel comfortable oversharing with Steven. He would always be a kid to her, even though he was in his second year of college. She recognized him as a man, but also as Rose's son, remembering when he barely reached Jasper's knees and spoke in incoherent but cheerful babble.

Steven would no doubt scamper away from the desk to find her, but Jasper had an appointment with a client as an excuse. In fact, she had several to distract her from her nosy boss. The only client she was concerned about, that could destroy what she worked so hard to keep from Steven, was Lapis. 

Jasper worked hard to avoid Steven during lunch (she ate her sandwich at the park) and her breaks (she hung out in the women's locker room and browsed the internet on her phone in-between texts with Lapis). There were a few messages from Peridot that Jasper decided to ignore. Peridot always jumped at the chance to tease Jasper and sometimes it was too easy. It was all good-natured but Jasper was too embarrassed and beginning to feel moody, the drop starting to turn her emotional state. 

She considered texting Lapis, canceling her appointment, not just to evade Steven's eyes but because she was worried she couldn't do it, that she wasn't in the right place emotionally. But after some thought and a few half-written messages that ultimately got deleted, she tucked her phone back in her pocket. It would be better for her to talk to Lapis face to face, no matter if the cruddy feelings subsided or not.

By four, when Lapis arrived Jasper was in a finer mood. She drank plenty of water and she even bought a chocolate bar from the vending machine. This didn't go unnoticed by Amethyst who not-so-jokingly asked Jasper if she was buying a candy bar for her. (The candy bar had also gotten stuck, which made Jasper resort to shaking the machine. Her first thought was to punch it. Thankfully, shaking it worked.)

"How are you?" Lapis asked. 

"Good. You?”

"Still tired. . ." Lapis drawled. There were dark circles under her eyes but not from lack of sleep. Top drop was something that also happened, though Lapis's emotional rollercoaster after playing together wasn't as intense as Jasper’s. At least, that's what it looked like on the surface. Jasper bookmarked that thought for later, when they were alone. Seeing Lapis then and now, also tired, made her realize she should be more present for her taking care of her needs just as Lapis cared for Jasper's. She wanted to learn more about how Lapis coped and what she could do to help. 

“A good workout will snap you out of it,” Jasper reassured, ushering her to the track outside. They stretched and jogged together, as per the usual routine. Lapis quickly tore out of the groggy mess she was in when she entered the gym, returning to her normal, jubilant self. Jasper hadn't noticed anything different about their interactions, how her voice was softer, less aggressive but still laced with encouragement. She didn't realize it until Lapis gave her a look and said something about it.

"Is everything all right? You're not yourself."

Jasper's brows knitted, confusion crossing her face. She felt fine now. She had drank plenty of water and her body was radiating oxytocin after that chocolate bar. Steven had also left for home, leaving her with nothing to worry about. 

"Jasper, are you afraid to tell me what to do?"

They both became quiet, that was exactly it. 

"I don't think I can yell at you like that again," Jasper admitted. Her ferocity was what she was known for; it was why Lapis had hired her, but now everything had changed, and she was glad but she worried about what that meant.

"I could order you to," Lapis suggested in a low whisper then shook her head, reconsidering.

"I wouldn't feel comfortable with that," Jasper said, sighing. "Sorry, Lapis. I wanna do my job, and I want to make you happy but..."

Lapis raised her hand and shook her head. "It's okay. You don't have to explain yourself. I was already thinking I probably should hire a new personal trainer." Lapis rubbed her arm, smiling wanly. "I want to keep seeing you. . . outside of here. But I don't want to interfere with your work or get you in trouble."

Jasper nodded agreeably, grunting. She could sense Lapis's unease, her voice so soft and low that Jasper almost couldn't hear her, worried that if Jasper lost her job it would be her fault.

Jasper's job wasn't at stake, Steven was an understanding boss-- sometimes too understanding-- and he would allow the relationship if it was discovered. The real concern was that they both knew they couldn't juggle two vastly different dynamics. 

Jasper raked a hand through her hair, drawing in a breath. "I wish I could recommend someone to you." Jasper’s bootcamp expertise was what Lapis wanted out of a personal trainer, but Jasper could think of no one other than herself that fit that bill. Steven was too soft, Amethyst too lenient, and somehow Jasper had the sense that Lapis and Pearl would butt heads if they were in the same room together. She swallowed. The only person who came to mind was Garnet, but Jasper wasn’t sure if she should make that suggestion.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos, comments, and your patience. I can't believe we're this far ahead and I've already started writing chapter eight.
> 
> This chapter contains rope bondage and strap-ons.

Jasper did not mention her suggestion right away. She held the thought in the back of her mind, and Garnet’s name held in her throat until several days later when the subject came up again during dinner.

Jasper didn’t like eating out. Often she offered to make dinner instead. Lapis liked her cooking, and they both saw it as another way for Jasper to serve her. They had been spending more time together than alone lately-- mostly Lapis would come over. Jasper’s house was close to the school Lapis worked at, and Jasper suspected that Lapis liked that her place was more spacious. Jasper had offered to help Lapis unpack once or twice, thinking that would offer Lapis more room in her apartment, but each time Lapis would stiffen and shoot her a glare.

Over time some of Lapis’s things had planted themselves in Jasper’s home: her spare phone charger, assorted pens she had left behind after grading papers, a few large t-shirts to sleep in, and a handful of outfits. There were also the handcuffs that they didn’t use anymore (one of them lost the key) and a butterfly knife that Lapis had used to draw lines across Jasper’s backside. And whenever Jasper did laundry, without fail she would find something of Lapis’s: one sock, a pair of panties.

At first, Jasper returned these things to her, but after awhile she stopped. She didn't care, or more likely, she associated Lapis’s things with Lapis’s presence in her life.

It was Jasper who unintentionally tilted the conversation in the direction it led. She had asked Lapis if she was still doing her daily workout routine, the one Jasper had set her on originally.

“Just because you’re not my client anymore doesn’t mean you can’t go to the gym.”

Lapis laughed. “You still sound like you’re my personal trainer. Only… with less bark and bite.”

“Oh I can bite,” Jasper said, demonstrating on a piece of chicken.

Lapis’s eyes were hooded, as if remembering something pleasant. “Yeah, you can.”

Jasper did not miss the inflection in Lapis’s voice but changed the subject back, curiously. “So. Did you, uh, find someone else to train you?”

Lapis shook her head, stabbing a piece of broccoli, shrugging her shoulders.

“I haven’t really been looking,” she admitted. Jasper frowned, unsettled by her apathy. That was the final push toward mentioning Garnet.

“Well, I know someone,” she began, still apprehensive, watching Lapis clear her plate. “Fits what you’re looking for. She’s quieter than me, but she’s no pushover.”

“Who is it?” Lapis asked, though she didn’t seem interested, chasing a pea with her fork.  
“Garnet. You know, the tall woman who handles the kickboxing classes? Squared off hair? Wears sunglasses indoors?”

Lapis’s eyes widened a little in recognition, nodding. “Yeah, I know who you’re talking about.”

“Just, if you’re gonna train under her I need to tell you something. We um... don’t exactly get along. Well, I’m willing to, but she hasn’t forgiven me.”

“Forgiven you for what?”

“Bullying her friends. We grew up together.” Jasper tapped her crooked nose. “She’s the one responsible for this.”

“You don’t sound exactly comfortable with her training me. But you brought it up. Why?” Lapis tilted her head, confused.

“I’m worried she’ll say stuff about me to you, I guess. Even though that doesn’t make sense. She’s not like that. And, I brought it up because I haven’t seen you go to the gym in awhile.”

“If training under Garnet will make you uncomfortable, I don’t want to do it.”

Jasper rubbed her forehead. “This would be easier if Rose were here.”

“I’m… sorry,” Lapis said awkwardly.

“Don’t be.”

“I’m not... well. I mean. I’m sorry for your loss,” Lapis explained, lowering her eyes.

Jasper’s eyes widened and her hand fell from her face. “No. It’s not like that. Rose isn’t dead. She went overseas to train an Olympic weightlifter.”

Lapis’s face contorted in confusion, then she asked, “Why is there a plaque at the entrance of the gym saying: ‘In Memory of Rose?'”

“So we don’t forget her.”

“...Okay.”

After a moment of awkward silence Lapis finished her meal. She set her utensils down and stood from the chair.

“Don’t worry,” she reassured, brushing Jasper’s arm as she passed. “I’ll find someone.”

Jasper didn’t believe her. Lapis’s tone was distant, as if it didn’t matter anymore. Jasper knew better than to press. She sensed that like the moving boxes, packed and collecting dust, that this was a subject Lapis didn’t want to her to pry into.

X

Jasper wondered when Lapis would unpack her boxes and confide in Jasper. Lapis had no trouble undressing and pressing their bodies together, no trouble at all binding Jasper’s wrists in place with coarse rope. The scent of hemp drew Jasper’s thoughts to a different place. The sensation of rope dragging across her body made her go slack.

Lapis’s hands were swift, the rope wrapped around her upper body like a firm hug and squeezed her already voluptuous breasts.

“Nice bra,” Lapis commented after securing the knot in place. Jasper stared down at herself, at her breasts bulging out from the ropework. She watched Lapis’s fingers pinch her nipples.

“Your nipples were hard before I touched you,” she said, cupping her breasts. Lapis’s hands were so tiny that she barely covered Jasper’s chest.

Lapis pressed her lips to Jasper’s neck, took in her scent. Although Jasper had showered recently, Lapis could smell the sweat on Jasper’s skin, intensifying a sharp musky scent that Lapis could only describe as ‘Jasper.’

“My Jasper,” she breathed and felt Jasper melt and stiffen all at once at the affectionate tone in her voice. Lapis closed her eyes. Jasper opened hers, hearing a coil of rope slither up the bedsheets. Lapis gathered Jasper’s arms behind her back, dragged the rope up and down her wrists before wrapping the coils. Two wraps around and the knot was set.

“How does that feel?”

“Good.”

“Good,” Lapis repeated, pressing a kiss to Jasper’s shoulder. The smell of the leather harness Lapis was wearing mingled with the scent of the hemp rope wrapped prettily around Jasper. It was as if her body were Lapis’s present. The head of the strap-on Lapis wore nudged against Jasper’s backside. Jasper was very conscious of the silicone, of the rope stimulating pressure points and erogenous zones. Her head was swimming, anxious with excitement, wetness pooling between her legs.

Jasper bristled, her hair standing on end. She needed Lapis to fuck her.

Now.

Now would not come soon enough. Just as Jasper was hyper aware of the rope, the dildo, and Lapis’s movements, Lapis knew Jasper was aroused, and with her arousal came impatience. Lapis kissed her. Jasper felt the curve of her smile, the soft, haughty purr rumbling in her slender throat.

Lapis kissed and teased her teeth over Jasper’s skin. The smaller woman was met with mostly muscle but when she found soft spots, pliable flesh between her teeth, she bit down. She was careful of the ground she covered. She left soft love bites on Jasper’s breasts and thighs, never her neck and shoulders, though she entertained the idea sometimes, whispering threats that she could and “What would your friend think of that?” 

Her lips and tongue teased Jasper’s sex. Her fingers dipped inside and just as soon retreated. She made Jasper ache for her. Her growls were intimidating to anyone else but Lapis, who had learned it was Jasper’s way of whining.

When Jasper finally begged, it was a hoarse whisper. Lapis laid across Jasper’s body and angled her ear towards Jasper’s mouth to hear her. Jasper almost forgot her request, feeling Lapis’s moisture drip against her hip. The strap-on pressed on her abdomen, cool against heated flesh.

“Did you say something?” Lapis asked, bringing back her attention.

“Fuck me, Mistress,” Jasper begged, voice husky and worn.

“Not with that dirty mouth.”

“Please, Mistress,” she corrected herself, vaulting her hips upward. She fought against the rope holding her wrists, annoyed that she couldn’t just grab Lapis by the waist and force the silicone phallus inside herself. “I need you.”

Lapis reached between Jasper’s legs, eyes wide with mock surprise. “So you do. How about that?”

Lapis did not need to part Jasper’s legs with her knee; they were already spread. Jasper’s legs were thick and rippling with muscle. Red marks dotted her inner thighs where Lapis’s mouth had been. Her sex was glimmering with a soft sheen of sweat and her own excitement, the lips and clit large and swollen, giving off a humid heat.

Lapis teased the head of the dildo between the vulva lips. Jasper raised her hips to meet her, and Lapis backed away, her hands on Jasper’s hips, pushing her down. She stared at Jasper until Jasper relented, looking away. Assured that she had won this silent game of dominance, Lapis ran the tip along Jasper’s slit, and just as Jasper thought she was going to be teased again, Lapis thrusted inside of her.

A low groan of relief left Jasper’s lips. Lapis leaned forward to kiss her, slowly thrusting in and out. She watched Jasper’s face contort then relax with pleasure, her expressions as fluid and moving as water. She took in how all of Jasper’s body save for her cunt went slack. Jasper, as always was impatient, greedy. Like a big cat, she desired to be caressed and pampered and if Lapis paused, her eyes would snap open. Jasper didn’t dare glare, knowing that if she did Lapis would stop completely. She didn’t like Lapis’s rules sometimes. They were unfair towards her libido, at least, initially.

The smaller woman liked to edge her, make her earn Lapis’s touch, almost kisses that shot electricity through her body until they crested between her legs. All of the little things, the whisper of a kiss, a light stroke slowly culminated into Lapis’s mouth demanding against her mouth, Lapis squeezing, kneading, taking Jasper’s flesh under her tiny-- but not weak-- hands. Jasper still couldn’t come by her mistress’s touch, though she wanted it more than anything. She asked for Lapis to untie her, offered a suggestion. Lapis bit her lip and pulled out, gently helping Jasper up as she unfurled the knot. The rope fell loosely around Jasper’s wrists like bangles. She stretched her arms back, then forward. They both admired the rope marks around Jasper’s wrists. Lapis kissed the marks. Jasper’s pulse danced under her lips.

Lapis’s eyes drifted upwards, feeling Jasper’s cheeky grin. “What?”

“You.”

“Me, what?”

“Being cute.”

Lapis blushed, slight agitation crossing her face. “I untied you so you could touch yourself, Jasper. Not so you could...”

“ ‘Call me cute’?” Jasper laughed loudly. Lapis continued to glare, gently shoving Jasper’s backside against the bed. The strap-on slipped inside Jasper, and Lapis fucked her hard, replacing Jasper’s laughter with grunts and moans.

“Jasper,” Lapis reminded.

Jasper snorted, but reached down, rubbing meditative circles along the side of her clit. The swell of her arousal pulsed under her fingertips. She closed her eyes and sank into the bed, into herself, letting go. It was easy to let go with Lapis. She wouldn’t be disappointed in her if she didn’t come, and her pride was not hurt by the fact that Jasper asked to masturbate. She could feel Lapis’s eyes, alight with interest and fondness, content to watch. Her thrusts slowed as Jasper’s rubbing intensified. Jasper’s feet were planted on the mattress, her legs shaking as she felt the cusp of that familiar release. She heard Lapis’s breath catch in anticipation, but nothing else. She heard nothing else but her own guttural moans, pouring out of her mouth as she came, shaking and shuddering under Lapis.

X

Jasper had barely noticed the ropes around her chest grow slack, the knots undone by the expert hands that had put them in place. The rope sensually slid off her body like water. The restriction of movement had been a freedom in itself that she began to miss, but it was time. She could feel her body near its limits. Lapis kissed Jasper as she untied her. Jasper dreamily responded back to her mistress’s affections, eyelids heavy, head still swimming. Some parts of her body still felt electric from the moment. Low moans left her lips. Not an ache of desire, but a release of all that had culminated.

When Lapis had finished she offered her a glass of water. Jasper declined but Lapis gently said that she would have to at least have a glass before bed. For now, Lapis succumbed to the large hands pulling her back into the crook of Jasper’s arm. Lapis rested her head against Jasper’s shoulder and resisted the urge to fall asleep.

She let Jasper close her eyes, lightly doze, gather her thoughts. After twenty minutes her eyes opened and Lapis stirred, drowsy but determined to stay awake.

“How do you feel?” they both said at the same time, then snickered in unison.

Whatever doubts Jasper had earlier about Lapis’s withdrawn attitude at the dinner table evaporated. There was warmth, there was laughter between them. There were secrets too, Jasper didn’t doubt that, but she held Lapis and held hope the other woman would unpack her boxes and confide in Jasper. When she did, Jasper would be there.

X

Jasper only went golfing with Peridot when she owed the woman a favor. It was an unspoken rule between them, a ritual they had long lost track of the origin. Peridot didn’t pay for Jasper’s rental clubs or admission to the park, and refused to let her drive the golf cart (last time she had chased Peridot around the golf course). But the real punishment lay in that Jasper hated golf; she was bad at it, and Peridot didn’t hesitate to rub that in.

“Another flawless shot.”

“Golf isn’t a sport,” Jasper retorted, hunched over and scowling. “Anyone can hit a ball with a stick.”

“Do you say the same thing about baseball? Also, if anyone can hit a ball with a stick, then why have you whiffed most of your strokes?”

Jasper pinched a golf ball between her thumb and forefinger. “Peri, these are balls for ants. You need a microscope just to hit them.”

“And skill,” Peridot added arrogantly.

“This is a sport for ants.”

“Didn’t you say golf isn’t a sport?”

“I am this close to hijacking the golf cart and escaping this godforsaken place.” Jasper squinted at the sun. “It’s too quiet here. And everything is green.”

“It’s a golf course, Jasper.”

“I don’t like it.”

“Well, I don’t like being left alone for over a week,” Peridot haughtily replied. She gathered her clubs and with Jasper’s help hauled them onto the back of the golf cart. “I know you have a girlfriend, but don’t forget your friends, okay?”

“I’m sorry,” Jasper said again.

Peridot softened. “Thanks for coming today. I know you don’t like it.” She toyed with the white glove on over her dominant hand. “I'm sure you’d rather be with Lapis, right now instead of me.”  
“Hey. Stop that.” Jasper gently elbowed her. “I mean. I hate this...” She gestured at the golf clubs, the golf cart, and the course. “This excuse for a sport. But I’m having fun being with you. It’s my fault for getting sidetracked.”

“New relationship energy, huh? Not that I would know. Never dated. Seen it happen to a lot of people though.”

It was the first time Jasper had heard of that term, but she nodded, getting what Peridot meant. Peridot sat down in the driver’s seat of the golf cart and Jasper joined her on the passenger side. Normally, Jasper didn’t ride along, opting to run alongside (sometimes race) Peridot on the way to the next teeing ground, but she wanted to continue their conversation, to make sure she and Peridot were on the same page and there wasn’t a sliver of resentment left.

She felt assured that the two prominent figures in her life didn’t bicker or gossip to Jasper about each other behind their backs. They weren’t close, amicable really, though Jasper hoped they would become so. It didn’t make sense to Jasper for two important people in her life to not be friends. But maybe she was being idealistic, and maybe it wasn’t such a good idea for the two to become close friends.

They both knew Jasper’s weak points: Peridot had embarrassing stories and Lapis had seen Jasper at her most vulnerable.

She recalled this two days later when she discovered the two chatting at the reception desk. Lapis had just arrived for a quick after-work jog on the track and Peridot was doing deskwork. Jasper found it strange that Peridot was allowing someone to pull her from her work for more than two minutes and felt a shiver run up her spine at the sight of the two laughing about something Jasper couldn’t guess at. She was too far away to hear their voices, low, and she imagined, mischievous.

Jasper wasn’t surprised when that same night Lapis confirmed her greatest fear and the desire that had bloomed at the sight of them talking.  
“How would you feel if someone joined us?” Lapis asked hesitantly. She was facing Jasper, the covers bunched up over her shoulders, almost covering her mouth.

Jasper wet her lips. “Depends on who it is,” she replied, a fluttering feeling beginning to consume her chest, making it hard to breathe. She had a good guess who Lapis had in mind. It was rare for Lapis to be so transparent, but here she was, shoulders raised, chin down, eyes peering up at Jasper shyly, holding a breath before finally offering a name.

“Peridot.”

“Peri doesn’t do relationships,” Jasper said plainly. She didn’t mean to shoot Lapis’s suggestion down; it was a fact Peridot had stated several times, especially in the beginning of their friendship. Jasper had been rude initially and pressed boundaries; she still regretted that. She didn’t want to do it again, or let Lapis unintentionally make the same mistake.

“I know,” Lapis said. “It wouldn’t be a relationship. She asked if she could watch. She knows, Jasper.” Quiet and then, “Did you tell her?”

Jasper shook her head, hoping Lapis believed her. They had both promised to keep the kinky facet of their relationship between themselves. Jasper’s reasons were personal privacy, Lapis’s reasons were that and job security. As a teacher she couldn’t take the gamble. 

“I don’t know how she figured it out, but Peri’s pretty observant.” Jasper thought about asking Lapis if she was comfortable with Peridot’s knowledge of their relationship, but realized that was a redundant question. It was Lapis who brought it up. 

“Just watch?” she asked, eyebrows raised, tantalized by the idea.

“More than that, if you’re comfortable with it,” Lapis said, softening, seeing the interest sparking in Jasper’s eyes.

“What else?” Jasper couldn’t help but lick her lips. Lapis bit her lip. Their legs tangled together under the bedsheets, as if holding hands and their bodies pressed together wasn’t enough. 

“Her only condition is you don’t touch or become sexually intimate with her,” Lapis said. Jasper nodded and she continued, unable to suppress a giggle, “She wants to fuck me while you watch. She wants to watch me play with you, to demonstrate my power over you.”

Jasper rolled her eyes. “Typical Peri.” It was like the golf game all over again. Just like Peridot to dangle a win in front of Jasper’s face, to playfully humiliate her, but unlike the golf game, Jasper was deeply interested in the premise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was inspired by Paleglow's art:  
> http://nsfwpglow.tumblr.com/post/122723729846/human-au-lapis-and-jasper-pretty-heavily-inspired


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Contains threesome, petplay, cuckolding,

When Jasper asked Peridot how she found out about the more intricate parts of her and Lapis’s relationship, Peridot was quick to answer.

“Pearl mentioned a book she caught you reading.”

Jasper’s heart sank straight into her stomach, an uncomfortable shiver running down her spine. “Do you think she told anyone else?”

“It’s Pearl,” Peridot said. “And you had marks.”

“You weren’t worried?”

“They looked clean, concise. Careful. And you didn’t show signs of abuse. I mean, yeah, I did watch you for awhile but...” Peridot paused. “Should I be worried?”

Jasper shook her head and Peridot’s face relaxed again. Peridot continued to reassure Jasper she had nothing to worry about with Pearl knowing or saying anything. Garnet had just shrugged, and while Amethyst laughed at the information, she had been easily distracted by the pizza delivery guy. “And no one’s told Steven,” Peridot added. “I think Pearl is tactful enough not to tell him.”

Peridot’s reassurances didn’t quell the queasiness in Jasper’s gut. Jasper liked bragging about her personal life most times, but when it was someone else putting her up for show it made her uncomfortable. And this was more than just herself involved. She didn’t want to risk Lapis being dragged out into the spotlight. She wondered if anyone else besides Peridot knew they were dating.

Jasper waited for the opportunity to talk to Pearl, resisting the urge to drag the woman out of her yoga class. It was difficult. In-between each class Pearl took a shower, and that would be an inappropriate time to broach the subject. Pearl didn’t eat a lot, normally skipping lunch to take a longer shower. Jasper wondered if it would be ethical to compromise the plumbing, impatient.

Near closing, Jasper kept close to Pearl like a wolf stalking its prey. She waited for the rest of her coworkers to disperse after clocking out, but Amethyst and Garnet kept close until Pearl said she left her phone in Rose’s office. 

“We’ll wait for you in the car,” Garnet, said and Amethyst followed. Jasper waited until they exited the building, then she approached the office, the door open a crack. Pearl didn’t intend to stay long. The lamp was on, basking the office in a warm peach glow. The smell of Rose’s perfume on Pearl and the glow of the lamp made it difficult to remember Rose was overseas. For a moment she was in the room with them.

“Hey,” Jasper said.

Pearl jumped, the phone bouncing out of her hand. The phone fell to the floor, and the screen cracked.

“Sorry.” Jasper bent to pick it up, frowning. “I’ll buy you a new one.”

Pearl tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, shaking her head. “I needed an upgrade anyway.” She took the phone from Jasper. Her thumb ran across the screen, checking to see if it was still functional. Satisfied, she tucked it into her purse. “Do you need something, Jasper?”

Jasper glanced over her shoulder. “Do you mind if I close the door?”

“Of course not.”

Jasper closed the door behind her, drawing in a breath. “I heard you’ve been telling people about that book I had...”

Pearl’s eyes widened, she looked slightly nervous, steepling her fingers repeatedly. “Oh... have you?”

“Don’t play dumb, Pearl.” Jasper snorted, unable to contain the annoyance in her voice. “Or you can, I guess. Just... I don’t like you talking about it.”

“It’s your fault for reading that sort of book at work.” Pearl huffed, folding her arms, one sharp hip jutting out.

“I wasn’t reading it. YOU grabbed it out of my bag. You invaded my privacy, Pearl. I’m not looking for an apology.” Though Jasper thought that would be nice. “I just want you to stop gossiping about me, all right?”

“All right,” Pearl said tersely.

Jasper’s hand wrapped around the doorknob, pausing. “Also, tell me how much I owe you for a new phone.”

“Re-really it’s no trouble...” Pearl raised her hand in alarm, and then she dropped it, feeling awkward that Jasper was being so kind to her despite everything.

“Just consider it hush money.” Jasper opened the door, halfway through Pearl stopped her.

“I was jealous,” she admitted, clutching her chest, hand shaking. “I’m sorry.”

“Pearl.”

“You’re seeing someone, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.” 

“Oh...” she said, her voice a low, dissonant note. 

“We both know it wouldn’t have worked, Pearl.” Jasper looked at Pearl, bathed in peach lamplight, the smell of Rose’s perfume so potent on her skin that Jasper was sure she took baths in it.

“You’re right,” Pearl said quietly. “But I still feel. I feel jealous.” Her hands wrung around her purse strap. “...I won’t tell anyone else.”

“Thank you, Pearl.” Jasper said, and though she didn’t want to leave her there, she had to. Pearl’s friends were waiting.

X  
A date was set for next week, Friday. Not soon enough. Since her talk with Peridot, neither of them mentioned the nature of her relationship with Lapis or the dinner plans for Friday night. It was Lapis that had told Jasper, not Peridot. 

Peridot acted as if nothing had happened, to the point that Jasper suspected Lapis had been toying with her when she brought it up. Lapis did that sometimes. Occasionally she placed an ad in the online classifieds with a (faceless) picture of Jasper attached, flexing or nude depending on Lapis’s level of sadism. She would read the replies to the ad out loud to Jasper. The complete strangers had no tact, the things they said they would do to Jasper vile and rude. Their unneeded comments made Jasper feel like an object.

Later, when Lapis had her bend over, legs forced apart with a spreader bar and her arms bound, Lapis would whisper wickedly in her ear, “I replied to one of the emails. Look how helpless you are. I’m going to let a complete stranger fuck you.” As she said this her fingers sank into her, knuckle deep.

Yet no one opened the bedroom door and took advantage of her, ready for the taking. Lapis would see Jasper begin to not take her seriously and continue, unruffled, “Looks like someone chickened out.” She would run her hands over Jasper’s body, pinch her bottom and her breasts. “Next time,” she promised.

Was this another one of her cruel empty promises, to taunt a wetness between Jasper’s legs and make her entire being swim with anxiety? At the start, Jasper was excited, skeptical, but mostly nervous. Middle of the week she was less nervous, still excited, but her doubt grew until by Friday she had become indifferent, or at least she thought she was, until she sat next to Peridot on the cusp of closing time.

Peridot said hi to her, but nothing else. She didn’t bring up dinner, or Lapis, she continued to work, eyes focused on the computer. Jasper was frustrated. She wanted to say something. If she mentioned it, would Peridot be shocked, the dinner plans a lie all along? Jasper didn’t want to make her friend uncomfortable if that was the case and kept her silence, impatiently leaning back in the chair, watching the clock.

Five minutes till ten, Peridot closed out of her programs and packed her things. Jasper had already done so, waiting for Peridot, waiting for her to say something, anything to allude to tonight.

Jasper didn’t even notice that she was in Peridot’s way. The other woman awkwardly stepped around her.

“See you later.” Peridot waved. She looked like she was in a hurry. Not for Jasper or Lapis but for a new videogame release. That’s the only thing for Jasper could picture her friend logically rushing to. Although she had had fantasies about Peridot (even in the present), she just couldn’t picture the other woman being sexually intimate with someone outside the realm of imagination. 

 

Lapis was in the kitchen when Jasper arrived home, dinner rolls on the table, the salad in the fridge, and the chicken parmesan baking in the oven. Jasper had prepared most of it the night before but Lapis had finished it, since she got off work earlier than Jasper. Jasper noticed that only two places were set at the table, confirming that Peridot joining them was just a boast.

“Take a shower first,” Lapis said after greeting her with a kiss. “Our guest will be here soon.” Jasper looked at the table set for two again, her spirits sinking. The least Lapis could have done was make things convincing and set an extra spot at the table. Now even the illusion was shattered.   
As Jasper showered she had nothing to look forward to. Lapis had advised her to hurry but Jasper was sluggish and disenchanted. When she finally stepped out of the shower, toweling off her mane of hair, the doorbell rang.

A shiver coursed through Jasper, all of the heat going to her cheeks. Like a deer in headlights, she paused, unable to formulate her thoughts or move, the anticipation, excitement, and fear flowing through her the same as the beginning of the week.

She soon snapped out of it, scowling at herself for being hopeful again. Lapis could have easily rung the doorbell herself, or talked a neighbor into ringing Jasper’s doorbell at this exact moment.

Just like all the other times, no one was coming. It was a fabrication to spin Jasper’s sexual desire in circles. Peridot had not rung the doorbell, and though Jasper heard the door creak open and heard Lapis speak from down the hall, that was a trick too.

No one. Peridot was not there.

“Where is Jasper?” Peridot asked and Jasper dropped the towel.

“In the shower. Dillydallying.” Lapis made a point to express the agitation in her voice within earshot of the bathroom.

Jasper’s hand shook as she retrieved the towel. Without thinking, with a sudden spark of modesty, she wrapped the towel around herself. It nearly fell around her feet again when there was a sudden rap on the bathroom door.

“What is keeping you?” Lapis said sternly, and at Jasper’s silence, she lowered her voice, kinder, “everything okay?”

“Ye...” Jasper wrapped the towel around herself and opened the door. “Yeah.”

Only Lapis was there in the hallway, looking up at the other woman through her sloppy bangs. Peridot was not beside her, but Jasper could hear the other woman shuffling around in the kitchen.

“Are you still okay with this?” Lapis asked, concerned.

“Yes.” Jasper didn’t hesitate. She was still nervous, but if her disappointment earlier told her anything, it was that she wanted this.

Lapis caught her hand, rubbing her knuckles, watching Jasper’s face for even a flicker of uncertainty. Seeing none she smiled devilishly. “Take off the towel and kneel.”

“Shouldn’t I put on clothes?” 

“You won’t need them,” Lapis replied. At Jasper’s hesitance she laughed. “Are you being modest? What happened to my shameless beast? You look like a quivering virgin. I won’t say this again: take off the towel and take your rightful place- on your knees, Jasper.”

Jasper’s knees quaked at Lapis’s tone alone. She bent down and unwrapped the towel, setting it behind her. Her head was lowered, focused on Lapis’s bare feet. Her feet were as slim and slender as the rest of her. She had no calluses or rough patches, her nails painted with blue lacquer. Her feet had a natural beauty to them that Lapis took advantage of. Jasper didn’t mind being at her feet. The order to not look her in the eye was freeing in that she could stare as much as she want without being too obvious.

A jingle made Jasper look up quickly. She just as soon returned her gaze downwards. But Lapis did not chastise her, she ran her fingers through Jasper’s hair, her nails lightly scratching the scalp. Jasper relaxed into the touch. It was euphoric, reminding her of when the hairdresser washed her hair before a trim.

“Good doggy.” Jasper keened at those words, rubbing her head into Lapis’s touch. The leather collar-- the jingle she heard earlier-- pressed against her throat. The smell, the touch of it, made her feel whole. In her place. She was always Lapis’s, but the collar, a physical representation, was impossible to ignore. It made her weak in the best way. 

“Wow.” 

Jasper had forgotten Peridot was there until she spoke, peering out from the kitchen, a faint pink dusting her cheeks. 

Lapis clipped a leash to the collar and tugged. “Let’s go, Jasper.”

Jasper began to stand up but Lapis shook her head, clucking her tongue. slowly lowered herself to her hands and knees again. Lapis pulled the lead gently. Her head hot and spinning, Jasper followed Lapis to the kitchen. She felt Peridot’s eyes on her and was unable to look her friend in the eye. Peridot looked at the kitchen table still set for two, and turned to Lapis, silently questioning her.

Lapis tied the lead to the table leg closest to the spot Lapis chose to sit. “No pets at the table,” she said with a smirk. 

Jasper watched Peridot’s legs cross the kitchen to sit at the table opposite of Lapis, facing her. Jasper’s cheeks burned, feeling her place already. The kitchen smelled wonderful: of the chicken and red sauce, fresh grated parmesan, crisp and buttery dinner rolls. Jasper’s mouth watered and she found herself staring longingly up at the table. Her stomach growled but she refused to climb up her haunches and lift herself into Lapis’s lap to sate her hunger. She was better than that. Strong, disciplined. She waited for Lapis to set a bowl in front of her, the chicken cut up into pieces for easy consumption, three dinner rolls circling the meat. There were no forks or spoons. She looked up to plead with Lapis, to ask for a utensil, but Lapis’s attention was away from her and towards Peridot, making idle chatter.

Their voices washed over Jasper throughout dinner. Jasper had finished her plate within minutes, always a fast eater. She licked her lips, hoping that was enough, that crumbs weren’t sticking to her face. She licked her bowl clean too, and waited and waited. She didn’t register their words or the subject of their conversation, immersed in her role as a pet. 

Peridot was wearing cargo shorts, her legs bare. As she had admired Lapis’s feet, she liked Peridot’s too. Her friend’s feet were long and flat, unlike Lapis who had a distinct, elegant arch. There was a bit of prickly stubble to Peridot’s ghostly pale legs, but she was beautiful all the same to Jasper. She wanted to press her cheek against Peridot’s legs, kiss her knobby knees. There were a lot of things Jasper wanted, and it wasn’t only the leash that tethered her, but her promises. Peridot only wanted to watch and be watched. It was more than respect to Lapis’s rules for this scene. It was a love for Peridot, a respect for her boundaries.

To compensate, Jasper brushed her cheek against Lapis’s legs. She kissed her feet and playfully nipped her ankles. Lapis continued to speak, a slight hitch in her voice as Jasper planted kisses up her leg, thigh, and finally pressed her face to Lapis’s crotch. Lapis stopped talking then and scooted the chair backwards, shooting Jasper a glance she couldn’t read. 

Peridot moved from her seat and Jasper paused. Their eyes met. The corners of Peridot’s eyes crinkled, smiling, and it was then that Jasper followed where her friend’s hands were. One hand was on Lapis’s shoulders, almost possessive and still staring down at Jasper, tied to her post like a dog at their feet. Jasper could spring up from the table and growl. Doing so would overturn the table. Jasper stayed, watching Peridot’s hand slip under the spaghetti strap of Lapis’s dress. 

Peridot seemed to know what she was doing, contradicting the image Jasper had formed over the years. When Peridot told her she didn’t do relationships, Jasper had imagined an awkward Peridot who kissed like a fish and didn't know where to put her hands, a Peridot who wasn’t aggressive and yielded to kisses. These were always fantasy. She knew this, and now all those images shattered.

To say she wasn’t interested in relationships did not mean Peridot was pure and virginal. Peridot’s only hesitation was to watch Jasper from the corner of her eye as she was about to kiss Lapis. Jasper hadn’t noticed when she nodded, mouth parted in awe of what she was watching. 

Lapis roped her arms around Peridot, leaning upwards into the kiss. She bit her bottom lip and Peridot caught her upper lip between her teeth. There was a sort of battle for dominance as they kissed, trying to outdo the other. Once Jasper caught onto this she lost her shyness and sought to help Peridot. She pulled Lapis’s panties to the side, kissed her cunt, sucked on her clit. Lapis moaned, sinking back into her seat. Peridot pulled the front of her dress down, exposing one small breast, and tinkered with a nipple. 

Lapis was overpowered, dissolving under their combined efforts. Her legs shook, She kissed Peridot back hungrily, and her hands disappeared in Jasper’s mass of hair, pulling her face closer against her sex.

Jasper felt her resist the urge to come. Was she afraid she would melt into nothing? Her head was thrown back, eyes closed, her gasps and moans echoing off the kitchen walls. The smell of her musk blanketed the smell of food. She must feel weak, Jasper thought, her hands grasping Jasper’s locks as if trying to hold onto some form of clarity. 

Jasper would not allow Lapis to anchor herself. She slipped two fingers into her cunt, her pinky and ring finger into her ass. Her mouth remained wrapped around her clit, tongue flicking along the side, and sucking. Sucking. Lapis loved it when she sucked.

Peridot kissed along her neck, biting, leaving marks in her wake. She pulled the rest of the dress off and ran her tongue across Lapis’s nipples. Between Peridot and Jasper, Lapis couldn’t hold back anymore. She came violently, clutching Peridot, bucking her hips into Jasper’s face. She cried; it sounded like anguish, like the waves of pleasure sliced her wide open. There were tears in her eyes and she was quick to wipe them away. She sat up, regaining her bearings, the warmth in her eyes cooling over Jasper.

She crouched down, her legs weak like a foal, and she sat down beside Jasper. There was a napkin in her hand. She spread Jasper’s legs. Jasper felt Peridot’s eyes on her, as cold and detached as a surgeon's. Jasper started to close her legs but Lapis held her knees and forced her legs apart again.

“Jasper!” she chastised. “You made a mess on the floor.”

Lapis wiped the moisture between Jasper’s legs. She wished her mistress had touched her instead, not wiped her dry and cleaned her fluids from the tile floor. She felt ashamed being cleaned like this, reprimanded under Peridot’s observant gaze.

“I’m sorry, Mistress,” Jasper found herself saying. It was second nature to please Lapis, to apologize for her mistakes.

Lapis kissed her brow, untied the lead. Peridot helped her up and they walked to the bedroom, Jasper following behind on all fours. 

Over the threshold, Lapis removed the leather lead. “Stay,” she ordered, trusting Jasper.

Jasper watched Lapis join Peridot in the bed, planting herself in her friend’s lap. They kissed deeply. Lapis reached between them and drew a moan out of Peridot. Jasper was not really a dog, but if she had been, her ears would have pricked up at the sound. It was a sound she had only imagined before: Peridot’s moans were soft, breathy, half-formed words: “ye- “; “fu-”; “ple-”. Peridot nuzzled the nape of Lapis’s neck and gave herself to her. 

They tumbled in bed, taking turns to succumb to each other. Just when Jasper thought they were finished they started again, pushing and pulling, kissing with a violence that Jasper didn’t know Peridot was capable of. Peridot pinned Lapis down, marked her like the other woman was her territory. Then Lapis would grip Peridot by the shoulders and turn the tables, latching her entire mouth around the other’s neck, subduing her in the spot. They did this dance in the covers until they grew too tired to fight and fuck and gave into laying side by side caressing each other’s bitemarks and bruises and their vulvas. 

Peridot was near the edge of the bed then, her legs slightly parted as Lapis touched her. Jasper saw a glint of metal and began to notice how delicately Lapis touched Peridot there compared to the rest of her body. It took a moment for Jasper to realize it it was the clitoral hood piercing Peridot had gotten one drunken night years ago.

“You still have that?!” she blurted.

Peridot followed her line of sight, coloring slightly. “It was already there so I left it.”

“You’re so sensitive here.” Lapis giggled, stroking slow circles. “You’ve already come so much.”

Jasper’s eyes widened. “When?”

Lapis’s eyes were dark with mischief. “Oh she’s very quiet when she comes. Her voice becomes a whisper until she loses it completely.” Peridot stiffened and grew quiet. Lapis’s teeth teased the edge of Peridot’s ear. “See, she just came.”

She unraveled herself from Peridot and crawled towards Jasper. She looked otherworldly, like a supernatural creature that would scoop Jasper up and drag her into the depths of the darkness in the room. And Jasper was more than eager to let her, staying restlessly in place, yearning to meet her mistress halfway. But orders were orders and she had been told to sit.

So she sat and waited. The wait was worth it. Lapis slinked up to her, wrapped her legs around her as she sat in Jasper’s lap. She was in Lapis’s coils. Her thighs squeezed Jasper’s sides. The pain of waiting pulsed through Jasper. Her clit was hard and ached to be touched. She had been in awe of the two women and jealous. Jealous not in their possession of each other, but of the pleasure they gained while Jasper stewed, her skin so heated that Lapis’s touch felt cool in comparison.

Jasper’s back pressed against the wall for balance. Her hands dragged through the carpet. Her eyes were slitted, barely registering Peridot’s watchful gaze through the darkness, but she could feel it. Feel Peridot’s eyes crinkling into a smile. Jasper was falling into the palm of Lapis’s hand, victim to her own want, vulnerable under Peridot’s penetrating gaze. 

This is what Jasper loved: to be adored, admired, to show off. But unlike the times she had lifted weights at the gym, she was showing off a side only Lapis had seen until now. Her face was tender, body open and yielding. And for the first time she came effortlessly, the orgasm surprising both of them. 

X  
The house felt cold afterwards and it was mutually decided they all dress. Peridot put on the clothes she arrived in but Jasper and Lapis threw on t-shirts and underwear. Jasper grabbed a blanket and they cuddled on the couch, watching a movie. Peridot and Jasper had seen it several times, but when Lapis mentioned she never had, the two friends turned to each other, deciding that had to be fixed.

Jasper worried that Peridot would be uncomfortable with them after having sex. Although they were not directly intimate, there was the chance it could leave their friendship in a vulnerable position. Jasper held faith in that it was Peridot’s idea initially. If it had been Lapis’s, Jasper would have dismissed the idea to begin with. 

The only difference Jasper noticed was that there wasn’t a bowl of popcorn between her and Peridot. She sat closer to Jasper even, as if what had happened earlier solidified for her that Jasper respected her boundaries. 

Lapis was at Jasper’s left, her head against her arm, not watching the movie at all. She was falling asleep. Jasper nudged her. 

“Is the movie boring you?” 

Lapis shook her head, digging her head deeper under the crook of Jasper’s arm to shield herself from the light of the television.

Lapis was snoring near the end of the movie. Peridot lowered the volume, and spoke, her eyes still on the screen. “Thanks for having me. I had fun.”

“I had fun too,” Jasper said, a little awkwardly, unsure what the social norm was post threesome. 

Peridot reached for the remote, about to turn the volume up.

“Kinda surprised me though,” Jasper said.

Peridot’s eyebrows raised. “What do you mean?”

“I thought you weren’t into that kind of stuff.”

“It’s sex I like, relationships however...” Peridot chewed her bottom lip. “They just don’t work for me.”

“That’s cool.” Jasper shrugged, unsure what to say.

“Thanks for not pushing my limits by the way. You know, I really like you as a friend.” Peridot drew closer, leaning her head against Jasper’s shoulder. “I don’t want what we have to be ruined.”

“Me neither.”

Peridot’s eyes rested on Lapis’s sleeping figure. “She’s good for you, Jasper. I’m happy that you were so bullheaded you asked her out despite my cynicism.”

“Well, I never was good at listening.”

“But you listen to her.”

“She’s...” Jasper averted her eyes, smiling. “She’s Lapis.”

There was no other way to put it.


	9. Chapter 9

Weeks fell into others. Nearly all of Lapis’s belongings were at Jasper’s, save for the tightly packed boxes that continued to collect dust at Lapis’s apartment. Lapis was scarcely there anymore, only popping by to pick up the occasional textbook and her mail. She spent every night at Jasper’s house and as far as Jasper was concerned, she lived there. The only thing left was to make it official. It was senseless, she thought, to pay rent and utilities for a place you never used.

The Sunday evening was humid and wet, droplets of water sticking to the windows. The air was on to combat the stifling humidity. They lay in bed under the covers, the afterglow of sex still fresh and warm on their bodies.

“Hey.” Jasper brushed the hair from Lapis’s eyes. Her hand rested on her cheek, drawing her gaze to meet hers.

“What is it?” Lapis asked, sensing Jasper’s seriousness.

“Move in with me.”

“What?” Lapis asked, incredulous.

Jasper reached under the covers, finding Lapis’s hands. “You practically live here already, Lapis. Come on...” She ran a finger over delicate knuckles. “Just say yes.”

Lapis shrank back, frowning. “I can’t,” she whispered.

“Why not?” Jasper asked, hurt and confusion edging into her voice.

“Because...” And Lapis became quiet. She slipped out of Jasper’s hands to hold herself, arms crossed over her chest, to distance and shield herself from the effects of what she was about to say. “I’m moving.”

“To an apartment closer to your job?” Jasper asked, through Lapis’s expression she saw she was being too hopeful.

“No.” Lapis answered, slipping out of bed. Jasper was uncomfortable. She was still in the same room with her but Lapis felt distant from her already. “Home.” 

Lapis had lived at Beach City for a little over half a year. She had mentioned she was homesick before. And while Jasper had her suspicions why Lapis refused to unpack, she had clung to the belief that Lapis would learn to love this place, or found she loved Jasper more than the home she left behind. 

“When are you leaving?”

“Three weeks.”

A sliver of anger reached through Jasper. Desperation moved her. Taking Lapis by the shoulders, she said, “Jesus, Lapis. You could have told me sooner.”

Lapis lowered her eyes, “I was afraid. I didn’t want to hurt you... This isn’t easy for me either.” Passive aggression was thick in the last sentence.

“When were you going to tell me?” 

‘I don’t know,” she said so quietly Jasper almost thought she hadn't answered. Silence washed over them, a sudden, invisible distance between them. They both quaked under the strain, waiting for the other to reach out first. Lapis was the first to try. 

“Jasper, come with me.”

“Lapis, that’s...” Jasper looked at her room. How long had she lived in this house and paid the mortgage. And before that? She had lived at home with her parents, but both had passed away. Jasper had no other family left here, but Beach City was all she had known, and the people and friends she grew up with lived here. 

“I can’t, Lapis. I’ve made a life here. Beach City is my home.” The anger and hurt was still there, but Lapis’s question had made her think about what she would have to give up and leave behind if she moved, giving her some perspective to Lapis’s side.

“I can’t make you stay. I won’t. But I can’t come with you, Lapis. I’m sorry.”

“Fine,” she said bitterly, turning from Jasper. Jasper caught her hand. She hated that Lapis flinched under her touch. She uneasily let go.

“Lapis, please don’t do this.”

“Don’t do what? Move? How can you tell me not to move when you’re not willing to come along with m--”

“That’s not what I mean,” Jasper interrupted, frowning. “We only have a few weeks left. I don’t want to spend the rest of them like this. I don’t want to fight.”

“I...” Lapis paused, rubbing her arm. “I don’t want to fight either.” She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, staring at her feet. Her feet, that were planted in a city and place she didn’t care for. “...I just want to go home.” She reached for Jasper’s hand and was met halfway, their fingers intertwining. “I want to be with you.” She shook slightly, crying. “Why can’t I have both?”

Jasper stared at her, surprised to see the other woman crying. Lapis had always had an aloofness to her, even when she smiled, and especially when she laughed. Jasper thought if any of them were to cry, it would be her (and she had planned to hold it in if it came to that), but now she found it was just the opposite. Lapis didn’t bottle up her feelings as much as Jasper thought, or maybe, she had been, all this time, and something finally gave. And like Jasper was already tired of fighting before they started, Lapis was tired of trying to appear strong.

Even now, the other woman was so resilient. She didn’t storm off. She let her anger go. She took a chance and stayed. To Jasper, she looked stronger than ever.

“We don’t have to break up just because you’re moving,” Jasper said.

Lapis nodded, reaching out to her. “But there’s a lot I’ll miss,” Lapis said, pressing her hand and then the rest of her body against Jasper. “Touch.” She ran her hands up and down dark skin, admiring more than just Jasper’s muscles. Her fingertips lingered over ridges of scar tissue, taking in her roughness, her warmth, her pulse, fluttering under Lapis’s touch.

She reached up to run her fingers over Jasper’s mouth and knead at her sculpted cheekbones. She touched Jasper with such tenderness and care and lingered as if it would be the last time.

She touched Jasper like this again, three weeks later, the day of her flight. It was raining again, a soft trickle tapping the windows. Lapis’s hands dragged and clung to Jasper’s body like the rain slid across the window. She pressed kisses everywhere: eyelids, the corner of her lover’s mouth, on the mouth, neck, and even the line where Jasper’s armpit began, blonde hair tickling Lapis’s upper lip.

Jasper gave her the same attention. She ran her tongue along the cleft of Lapis’s ass, kissed her feet, nibbled her toes. Her hands swallowed her up, deeply massaging her inner thighs, pulling a relaxed moan out of Lapis. She pried her mouth open with her tongue, and then later, her fingers. Drool pooled in the palm of Jasper’s hand and trickled down her forearm, similar to the wetness pouring out between slender legs. 

There was no rush, or aim to their lovemaking, except to relish the moment. They consumed each other, as if gorging themselves now would ebb the pain of loneliness later. It wouldn’t, and they both knew this, but the knowledge only encouraged them to continue, again and again until the phone alarm Lapis set interrupted them.

“Lapis, your pho--” 

Lapis silenced Jasper with a kiss, holding her by the wrists. Jasper could easily break free, but she didn’t want to.

The phone alarm’s ring eventually faded, Jasper had long relinquished herself to the other woman, both ignoring their obligations, just for five more minutes.

Or ten minutes.

“Lapis, your phone’s alarm is really annoying.” This time Jasper shielded her mouth from kisses to silence her.

Lapis deflated, reaching, fumbling for her phone on the nightstand. She silenced it, reluctantly untangling herself from Jasper. “I don’t want to go.” 

“Oh my god, do not even give me that,” Jasper grumbled, a trace of affection underneath the exasperation.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?” Lapis pried.

“Well.” Jasper crossed her arms, smiling a little. “My mistress could order me to come with her.”

Lapis stuck her tongue out. “Boo. You promised we would just be girlfriends today.”

“You’re sounding pretty bossy, Lapis,” Jaser said, taking Lapis’s tongue between her fingertips. 

“Am I?” She tried to answer, but her tongue was caught. When Jasper released her she said, “Old habit.”

Jasper glanced at the clock, grimacing. “Come on, we got to go.” It was hard to push Lapis to get dressed and grab her carry-on. Jasper wanted Lapis to miss her flight. She didn’t want the other woman to leave her bed, or her side. She wondered if Lapis’s reluctance was real, if she had changed her mind but was too ashamed to admit it. Jasper decided if that was true, Lapis would decide at the airplane terminal, when the decision was more final.

Regardless of what Lapis chose, Jasper hoped it would make her happy.


	10. Epilogue

**Lapis 11:45AM**  
_I miss you._

Lapis stared at the message she had sent to Jasper. Her carry-on was on the floor between her ankles, the seat belt loosely clipped around her waist. She stared out the window, the wing of the airplane close to where she sat. There was a white noise in the air, a soft, clean static only found in airplanes before they took off.

**Jasper 11:54AM**  
_I miss you too._

Lapis stared at Jasper’s message, then hers preceding it. She looked over her surroundings again, floored by the finality of her decision. Could she undo her seatbelt, pick up her carry-on, and leave before they took flight? Yes, she could. It would only be too late to change her mind once the plane took off. But she stayed in her seat, sticking to her decision stubbornly. Someone had just sat down next to her.

“Window seat’s mine,” Lapis said. Sometimes people liked to ask to switch seats.

“I don’t mind. I was on a twenty hour flight earlier. I had the window seat then.” A woman’s voice answered. She sounded like bells, and she smelled familiar. Lapis sniffed, trying to stir her memory instead of turning to face her travel companion for the next hour and a half. She kept her eyes looking outside the window, having no intention of encouraging this stranger to a conversation. Lapis wanted to be left alone, to brood over her decision and enjoy the view. But the woman next to her was cheerful and persistent: a dreaded combination. 

“Do you like flying?”

Lapis shrugged her shoulders. She did like flying, but she wasn’t going to give this woman the satisfaction of prying into her. Likewise, this woman didn’t want to give Lapis the satisfaction of slipping through her fingers so easily. 

“Flying makes me anxious,” she said. “I get excited, thinking about where I’m going.” 

The woman became quiet and Lapis thought she had given up.

“Where are you going?” the woman asked, her words curved like a smile, and Lapis felt the woman genuinely cared. That she wasn’t just talking just to make small talk, just to fill in the blanks.

Lapis felt herself give in but kept her eyes outside the window. “Home.”

The pilot spoke through the intercom to announce that the plane was moving, making Lapis’s decision final. The plane began to make a slow crawl down the runway, picking up speed - a few bumps upwards- and it began to lift off, as if the sky was pulling it diagonally upwards. 

“I’m going home too. I had a job offer in Europe but left prematurely. I started to... well, I missed my friends and family so much. I’ve been gone awhile.”

“How long?” Lapis asked, becoming interested. 

“Almost two years.”

Lapis couldn’t fathom being away from home that long. “How did you do it?”

The woman chuckled. “It wasn’t easy. I missed my son’s high school graduation, and then his first day of college. After a while, talking to everyone I started to realize I was missing more than I felt comfortable with. All I could think about was the time I missed with my husband and son. Everyone. How about you? How long have you been away from home?”

“Not as long as you.” Lapis admitted. “I... I’m not supposed to be on this plane.” She wondered why she was telling this woman anything, whom she hadn’t even turned around to see. This woman, who smelled elusive and familiar, was magnetic. Lapis felt her walls fall effortlessly around her. She felt that she could tell this woman anything, even her bank account number if the woman asked.

“It’s my first day of work at the school in my hometown. They had me starting out as a summer school teacher. On the drive to work I kept putting up these stipulations. ‘If there is traffic I go. If not, I’ll stay. If the light turns red when I get close I’ll stay. If it’s still green, I’ll go. If the man in the fez is smoking on the bench I’ll go, if it’s the brunette man with long socks, I’ll stay.’ I don’t know why I even played this game. All along I knew I would miss my exit on purpose and go straight to the airport.”

“You followed your heart.” 

“I got emotional and ran off,” Lapis said pensively. “Like I always do. I’m not going to get that job back and I don’t have anything lined up for me in Beach City. No place to stay, nowhere to work.” 

“There is a job opening at my place,” the woman offered.

Lapis smiled wanly. The offer was tempting; the passenger next to her was so sweet and Lapis suddenly felt bad for trying to ignore her earlier. She didn’t accept or decline the offer. She became silent, and as if sensing her discomfort, the woman next to her changed the subject.

“Would you like to see the pictures of my son’s graduation?”

Lapis nodded, turning from the window. The woman had her phone held out and urged it into Lapis’s hands. Tentatively, Lapis looked at the screen, quietly scrolling through the pictures. There was a young man in all of them wearing a crimson graduation gown, a gold star hanging from the tassel of his graduation cap. His eyes were bright, his smile familiar. In the next few photos an older man (Lapis assumed the woman’s husband) stood next to the young graduate. The man was wearing cut-off jean shorts and a polo shirt with a mustard stain near the pocket. His hair was thinning. Lapis also found him familiar. 

Lapis had reached the end of the album, now scrolling backwards, squinting at the pictures, trying to pry off whatever was blocking her memory. She reached the beginning of the album and inwardly sighed, returning the phone. As she did she looked up, and without realizing it, began to stare.

The woman had a bright, saccharine sweet, smiling face framed by large strawberry blonde curls that went past her bare shoulder blades. Her body was soft and pale. The woman’s appearance, the graduation photos she showed Lapis, and the smell of her perfume all led Lapis to ask, “Do you know a place called the Crystal Gym?”

The woman smiled cheerily, knowing. “I’m the owner. My name is Rose.” She extended a hand and Lapis caught it, awestruck by Rose and coincidences. 

“Lapis,” she said. “I used to go there.”

“How was it? Was everyone doing okay?” Rose asked.

Lapis caught the look of concern on Rose’s face and smiled, relieving her worries. “They seemed happy when I was there last. Everyone who works there is so passionate about it.” Lapis’s thoughts were drawn to Jasper. “The Crystal Gym means everything to them, and it shows.”

“You’re blushing,” Rose commented, giggling.

“It’s hot,” Lapis defended, though there was goosebumps on her arms.

Rose let her get away with the lame excuse. “Now that you’ve told me you were a regular I insist you take my job offer.”

“But I-- I don’t have any experience doing that kind of work.”

“You said you were going to be a summer school teacher, right?”

“Yes.” 

The woman swiped and typed something in her phone, then presented it to Lapis again. On the screen was the picture of a flyer that looked like it had been drawn in crayon. It was a childish picture of the beach with a sun wearing a smile and sunglasses. And in bright rounded text were the words--

“Beach Summer Fun Buddies?” Lapis asked, looking up from the screen.

“It’s a summer activities program my son started for kids,” Rose explained. “I think you would be a perfect fit.”

“How can you trust me so easily?” Lapis asked. “I mean, just moments ago I told you I abandoned my job.”

“It’s a temporary job. If you don’t work out it won’t be a big loss,” Rose countered.

“And after summer? What will I do then?”

“Currently my son is the activities coordinator, along with several other duties. Things he insists on doing himself.” Rose sighed. “If you stayed, you would take that position to alleviate his workload and to give him time to focus on other areas of the gym... as well as college.”

Lapis bit her lip, chewing over Rose’s job offer. Lapis had already made plenty of spontaneous decisions today, what was the harm in one more? She had more to lose by not taking the job. 

“What would I have to do?” Lapis asked.

Rose grinned excitedly and for the rest of the trip told Lapis the details of the job, sprinkled with casual conversation. The rest of the plane ride went by fast at that point, and the landing was smooth. Lapis drew out her phone to check if she had gotten any new messages during the plane ride. None. However, Rose had a couple, snorting over the one she was reading.

“What is it?”

“Oh nothing.” Rose grinned. “My girlfriend is a bit of a worrywart. Want to see a picture?”  
Before Lapis could reply Rose turned the phone screen to face her. Lapis recognized Pearl and felt a bad taste enter her mouth, but said nothing. They had once fought over a parking spot in the parking lot of the Crystal Gym, and before that Pearl had caught up to her after Lapis cut her off in traffic. Lapis wondered if they would get along working together, but then, did one really get along with all of their coworkers? No job was perfect. And, Lapis thought, maybe it was too soon to judge the other woman. If she had completely ignored Rose (as she initially planned to) she wouldn’t have met a new friend or found a job before landing at the Beach City airport. 

X

A burst of salt greeted them once they left the airport and into the open air. There were several shouts of Rose’s name, careening them towards the left where a small crowd of people had gathered. Lapis knew all the faces in the crowd. She had seen them before at the gym. But one face caught her eye instantly. Jasper greeted Rose first, expecting her, but soon noticed Lapis too and did a double take.

Lapis held her hands in her lap. She thought that this would be easy, that like the rest of today, she would spontaneously jump into Jasper’s arms and to quote a text message from a couple days earlier, “hug the snot out of her.” 

But Lapis stepped back slightly, unsure if Jasper would understand, if she would find fault in her decision to drop everything and come back. Everyone else was focused on Rose, but Jasper and Lapis were focused on each other. 

Jasper stepped towards her and Lapis felt her pulse quicken in her chest like an anxious hummingbird,

Jasper reached for her, hand hanging in the air. “Are you real?”

Lapis inappropriately burst out laughing with the stress of her quick decision, and the relief crashing down on her all at once. There were tears in her eyes, she was laughing so hard. The scene echoed to almost a year ago, when she and Jasper had barely spoken and only knew each other as client and personal trainer. Jasper bent down to help her to her feet and Lapis nuzzled her chest, squeezing her with a physical strength Jasper didn’t know she was capable of, the breath almost knocked out of her. Almost.

“You’re not mad?” Lapis asked, murmuring into Jasper’s shirt.

“So mad,” Jasper joked, hugging back. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? Are you visiting? Picking something up that you left behind?” There were so many questions and Lapis answered them all. They were so absorbed in their reunion they didn’t notice that Rose and the rest of the Crystal Gym staff were watching them.

Steven gasped, hands on his chubby cheeks. “Guys! I figured out who Jasper’s girlfriend is!”

Rose giggled and Peridot snickered. Jasper and Lapis awkwardly ended their hug, but caught each other’s hand. Jasper’s hand was hot. She was blushing from head to toe. 

“I see you both know each other!” Rose smiled, waggling her eyebrows a little.

“Oh come on, Rose. If you make Jasper blush anymore she’s going to catch on fire,” Greg said.

Rose crossed over to them and took Lapis’s hand, urging her closer to the group. “Everyone, this is Lapis. She’s going to be the co-coordinator of the Beach Summer Fun Buddies program.”

Steven immediately turned to her. “we’re going to have so much fun!”

Although Lapis knew most of them already, the introductions were still overwhelming. The trek to the car was lively and by the time Rose and company drove away in their separate cars, Lapis felt like she was going to collapse. Jasper was the only one left and Lapis followed her to her car, both feeling dazed. The reality of Lapis’s presence here again hadn’t completely settled over them. Lapis still felt like a ghost, and Jasper kept saying she was certain Lapis would evaporate. But Lapis was still there when Jasper parked her car in the driveway, and years later Lapis would still be still there. 

“You’re my home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for everyone who read, gave kudos, and/or commented. Thank you, kurofeng, paleglow, and irinamov for the lovely fanart! And thank you possibilityleft for being the best editor and friend ever. Everyone’s enthusiasm was encouraging. I have always struggled to write multi-chaptered stuff and this is the first fic that I had minimal trouble with. I had fun writing this every step of the way and I am sad to reach the end.
> 
> I plan to write two extras that relate to this AU so I guess it’s not completely the end. And I have a supernatural AU I plan to start posting in October.
> 
> Follow my blog at http://tat-buns.tumblr.com/ for updates on my other little writing projects. Thank you!
> 
> Until we meet again, take care and again: thank you!


	11. Extra 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These shorts are just for fun and have no great underlying story.
> 
> Contains shaving and slight humiliation. 
> 
> Basically a fill for the kink meme:  
> http://sukink.dreamwidth.org/368.html?thread=100464#cmt100464

There was little that Jasper wasn’t proud of about herself. She was tall and built like a tank. The tall part was genetics; the tank part was all her. She had honed her body since college, at first as a hobby, and then as a professional body builder. She kept a healthy diet and took vitamins, there was scarcely a day she felt sluggish. Her hair was long and thick, like a lion’s mane. She dyed it platinum blonde in the past; now that she was going gray she didn’t have to worry about her roots showing anymore.

The only feature that left her disgruntled in the mirror was her broken nose, though since she had reconciled with Garnet it stung less and she was beginning to accept it. Lapis liked her nose. She said it was character, like the scars on Jasper’s body (also from fights-- bar fights, fights behind the schoolyard in high school, and that one time she fell off the jungle gym when she was seven). 

Jasper was brushing her teeth, not staring at her own reflection. Lapis was shaving her legs behind her. Jasper was watching through the mirror, scrubbing down her gums, wondering something before finally voicing it, a mouthful of minty bubbles: “Lapis, what’s the point of shaving every night? It’s just going to grow back.”

Lapis shrugged, not looking up from her work as she dragged the razor downwards, revealing a streak of skin amid the foamy and white shaving cream.

“I mean, who are you trying to impress?” Jasper said, not letting the subject go. “I don’t mind body hair.” This was true. Her own body was brimming with it, blonde tufts streaked with some grey. She was as proud of her armpit hair, leg hair, and the golden hair trailing down her abdomen that connected into a furry triangle as she was the hair on her head. Jasper liked her body hair. It kept her warm and shaving seemed like a waste of time.

She thought she was being helpful by reassuring Lapis that she didn’t have to shave for her.

Lapis raised her head. Jasper did a double take. Although she had been staring at her a moment before, she still often forgot that Lapis had dyed her hair blue a few days ago. The other woman said she kept it blue during college but had to stop once she began her work as a teacher. Now that she worked at the gym with Jasper, she started dyeing it blue. Jasper didn’t dislike it. Lapis said the pop of colour would seem normal to her soon enough. Jasper was still waiting.

Lapis raised her head, the blue strands wet after her shower sticking to her forehead and the nape of her neck. She glared flatly at Jasper through the mirror. “I don’t do it for you. I shave because I like my legs this way.”

Jasper grunted. “And your puss too.”

The annoyed look fell from Lapis’s face and she spread her legs, showing off her most recent work. She spread the vulva lips, tilting her head coquettishly and smiling. “You don’t think it looks nice? You can see everything.” At the word ‘everything,’ her tone became dark and Jasper’s body stilled. 

“Don’t,” Jasper said, knowing what she was thinking.

Lapis set the razor aside, finished. She hosed her legs off with the detachable shower head and rubbed aloe gel on before drying off. She was silent, her mind already made up. The only thing that would stop her now would be if Jasper chose to call “red,” but Jasper was curious how far Lapis would take this-- and it was just hair anyway. That’s what she told herself.

Lapis urged Jasper into the bedroom where it was comfortable. She gathered her shaving cream and a fresh razor and laid a tarp down on the floor. The tarp was mainly used for wax play. Today it would be used to groom Jasper.

Jasper removed her t-shirt; she had been wearing nothing else. She sat down on the tarp, arms crossed over her chest, anxiously watching Lapis from the corner of her eye. The shaving cream made a wet deflated sound as Lapis pressed the nozzle. Jasper expected a fart joke coming, amazingly, there was none and that made her even more worried.

"Lay down," Lapis ordered.

Jasper shrugged but complied, the tarp crinkling as she shifted her weight. She wondered how long it would take to grow her body hair back. She had never shaved, not even as a teen. 

The shaving cream felt cool, lighter than air covering her legs. Strands of hair poked through the cream as if in resistance. When Jasper raised her gaze she realized Lapis had been watching her. 

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Jasper challenged. 

Lapis smiled softly, and perched the razor on Jasper's knee before dragging it down. A patch, then a long trail of smooth skin, was revealed. Lapis tapped the razor against the plastic cup she had retrieved from the shower. It was filled with hot water. The razor cleaned, she started again, working her way meticulously. Very quickly, one of Jasper's legs was smooth as satin. She looked between the shaved leg and her still hairy one for comparison, unsure still if she liked this.

"Want to touch?" Lapis dared.

Jasper humored her, intending to be unimpressed but. . . her hand stopped. 

"That is fucking soft."

Lapis grinned. "Next leg, please."

Jasper was a little less hesitant this time and watched Lapis openly. When she finished she rubbed her legs together, relishing the softness. She often ran her hands over Lapis's legs for this reason. It was mesmerizing that her own legs were as soft as her girlfriend's. She was waiting for Lapis to run her fingertips over her handiwork. She wanted Lapis's attention, her touch and praise, but the other woman simply watched Jasper and waited for her to rest her hands at her sides.

The next area Lapis worked was her armpits-- that tickled a little. Then she lathered her abdomen, which also tickled. The razor's edge against her belly made her hold her breath. Her brows furrowed, watching Lapis swipe away her happy trail with a wave of her razor. On the one hand, her abs were completely visible and rocking. On the other, her stomach suddenly felt cold and she began to feel strangely vulnerable. Her body hair had been more than her pride. It had been her armor and Lapis was slowly dismantling her. She always did. Jasper continuously wondered how many ways Lapis could find to bring her to her knees, and if she would ever reach a block.

There was only one place left. Jasper watched Lapis apply the shaving cream, her fingers tickling the whorls of unruly hair. Lapis had been fairly quick in shaving the other areas of Jasper's body, but here, she worked so slowly Jasper questioned if the razor was moving through or not. This area proved to be a challenging task. Lapis had to work the razor through several times before skin was uncovered. But Lapis was tenacious and the razor was a high quality men’s razor. Gradually, she worked through all of the tangled mess of curls and dabbed at the spot with a warm wet towel before applying aloe. Jasper’s body was hairless now, the skin as bright and smooth as polished stone. 

It was strange to see her sex without the frame of curls, stranger that the slightest touch electrified her. Lapis’s fingers tiptoed across her sex, then eased between her vulva lips.

“You’re wet.”

Jasper shivered. “It’s cold.”

“I’ll warm you up.” Lapis lowered her head. Her lips brushed against her abdomen, where the trail of hair once had been, following an invisible line down to Jasper’s sex. Her lips caught onto her clit, and just as soon drew back. She parted her lips, exhaled, and Jasper shivered again, unsure if she was cold anymore.

“Are you embarrassed?” Lapis asked smartly.

“No,” Jasper lied and turned her head away without realizing, proving Lapis’s little jab.

Jasper watched Lapis again, hearing her rummage between the sheets and bed covers. The sight was comical. The top half of Lapis’s body was covered in blankets, her bare legs and feet poking out. Jasper smiled a little. The smile fell when lapis returned from the burrow of covers with her phone and aimed it at Jasper.

Dirty pictures were not something new in their relationship, but the effect remained humiliating. Sometimes Lapis posted the pictures (with her face cropped out) on online classifieds. Fewer times she sent the pictures to Peridot, who never reacted or sent a reply back. However they both knew their friend got the pictures, keeping her thoughts to herself. It made Jasper self-conscious of Peridot’s errant smiles.

Jasper heard a few clicks and the flash went off. She held her breath. The entire time the phone was pointed at her she wanted to cross her legs. Her knees were rigid with strain, and when Lapis placed a hand above her knee, her legs were shaking.

“Are you going to send that to somebody?”

Lapis shook her head and turned her phone around so Jasper could view the screen. “These are just for us.”

“Does it really look like that?” Jasper asked, looking through the pictures. Her labia were long and her clit was not fully tucked into a sheath of skin like Lapis's. “So this is what you see whenever you give me oral?”

“Cute, isn’t it?”

“Cute?” Jasper scrunched her nose at the comment.

“Yes, cute,” Lapis reiterated.

“But it’s so big. And powerful.”

“What is it with you and big things?!” Lapis exclaimed, making a face.

“They’re strong!”

“And what about me?”

“You’re big too-- but in a small package,.” Jasper said, nuzzling her neck as she set the phone aside. She pressed a kiss in the center of Lapis’s chest, between her breasts, enticing her to continue where they left off before she had started taking pictures. Lapis shuddered, sighing and Jasper felt victorious.


	12. Extra 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I forgot to write a hot and sweaty “after workout” sex scene. Which is funny because my desire to write that is why the Gym AU was created.

The smell of sweat set off Jasper’s primal urges. During, or just after a workout, the smell of her own musk, and the heat radiating off her muscles were incentive to take off her clothes and masturbate. This was frustrating while she was at work. The frustration increased her sexual arousal.

Lapis was frustrating in the same way. The other woman smelled heavenly in her arms just after a shower, like sea salt and lemons, but she was intoxicating with a balm of sweat sticking to her slender body. She still smelled like the sea and citrus, but something more. More raw. Like it wasn’t just sea salt Jasper could taste in the air, radiating off Lapis’s body, but the salt in her blood, the salt of her sweat, slick on skin. Jasper wanted nothing more than to pin her to the wall after their morning workout routine and taste the pure salt on her skin, the other woman’s musk filling her nostrils. She wanted to drag her tongue from Lapis’s shoulder down her forearm and suck her fingers. To lick her body clean, top to bottom, bottom to top and everything in between. She wanted to capture the wetness mixed with sweat dripping from Lapis’s cunt. She would smell sharp and tangy like brine, and taste like the shore. The salt urging her forward, and Lapis’s hips rocking like a tumultuous wave, one leg hiked up over Jasper’s shoulder, both hands pushing her face first against her cunt, grinding against Jasper’s lips.

“Please, Lapis?” Jasper had intercepted her between the bedroom and the bathroom, a hot shower the other woman’s aim.

“I’m hot. Sweaty. And gross. Come on, Jasper,” Lapis said, trying to find a way past her. She ran a hand through her hair, bangs sweaty against her brow. Her roots were beginning to show and Jasper’s body hair had finally fully grown back out after three weeks.

“Just five minutes?”

“Five minutes?”

“Five minutes-- and if you want to stop, I won’t push it,” Jasper offered.

Lapis paused, though she had decided at that moment she elongated Jasper’s anticipation, enjoying the way the muscular woman’s eyes grew large, begging like a puppy. She nodded, backing away from the shower and letting Jasper capture her in her arms. 

“Five minutes,” she reiterated.

“That’s all I’ll need.” Jasper grinned.

“We’ll see about th--” Lapis’s breath hitched and before five minutes passed, her shorts were pooled around her ankles. She had no intention of putting them back on.


	13. Extra 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote foot fetish stuff for my OTP. I can ascend.

The weight on her back is comforting. Jasper feels herself give a little, but she resists anything more. She must stay sturdy for Lapis. Lapis is perched on her back reaching for cereal on the top shelf. Jasper could easily reach it and they would be done. Lapis says this is punishment for putting it out of reach.

Jasper begins to wonder how this is punishment until Lapis steps down. Without her mistress’s weight on her, Jasper feels empty. She can hear herself begging, inwardly screaming for more, and Lapis registers the longing in her sharp eyes but walks away. 

She’s always barefoot when they are in the house. Her feet are tiny and slender, like the rest of her. The arch of her foot is distinct and delicate. When Jasper massages Lapis’s feet she’s anxious, afraid that amidst her excitement she’ll break her. But Lapis likes when she adds pressure below the ball of her foot. She’ll arch her back in response, sigh softly. Her eyelids will flutter and she forgets sometimes that she has the upper hand and begs Jasper not to stop. 

Jasper can envelop her entire foot with just one hand. She likes to cup her hands around one foot and warm it with her breath. Her routine is first to kiss each toe, then take them all in her mouth and suck. A moan comes unbidden from Lapis. Her toes curl in Jasper’s mouth. Her blue eyes are glassy, blissfully lost, drool running down the corner of her mouth. Often she falls asleep like this, only waking when Jasper slips a hand past the waistband of her panties and slides two fingers inside to roll her thumb along Lapis’s clit in slow, slow circles. And though they are both grounded, side by side, Lapis’s bare feet will kick as if she is lifted, skirting off the ground.


	14. Extra 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! It's been almost a year since I finished this fic. 
> 
> This AU is near and dear to my heart. It was the first multi-chaptered fic I finished that I felt accomplished, that I felt confident in my effort and happy with the results. 
> 
> It was fun to revisit the dynamic Jasper and Lapis have in this AU. My writing has changed so the style is different.
> 
> This contains ponyplay, some boot blacking, boot worship and lots of fluff. No sexual content.

The bit wedged between Jasper’s teeth was cold. The shoes attached to her feet were weighted and her gait was leaden as she crawled on her hands and knees. Everything Lapis had crafted for this scene was a test of Jasper’s strength, and despite her weightlifting experience and her experience as a personal trainer, Jasper was finding it difficult. That was good. She liked difficult. 

“Steady,” Lapis said above her, pulling the reins gently. Jasper had been trying too hard to prove herself, trotting when she should be walking. They were doing laps around the living room, the furniture cleared out of the way and arranged in a mock circle to resemble a horse’s paddock.

The saddle strapped to her torso was old and smelled like dust. Lapis had had Jasper refurbish it, utilizing the boot blacking skills she had picked up for a different scene. This had been done while Lapis was painting her nails, and then while she was doing the bills. They had been in the same room, laboring in their respective corners and occasionally pausing to see what the other was doing. Jasper had never caught Lapis watching, but she could feel her gaze on her back and that had encouraged her to work in the polish until the saddle was good as new. 

The knee-high boots Lapis was wearing, pressed against Jasper’s sides, had been polished with the same devotion. They smelled less earthy than the saddle, more like polish. Jasper couldn’t help but breathe in the sharp scents. Lapis tugged the reins and chastised her, for in remembering the preparations, she had stopped completely. 

“Go,” Lapis hissed. After the second reprimand she was growing impatient. Jasper moved steadily, keeping her back straight and head up as she made the rounds around the living room. After the fourth lap, Lapis signaled for her to stop, gently tapping her right flank two times with the heel of her boot. She did not dismount right away, her weight lingering on Jasper as she stroked her neck and her cheek. 

Jasper closed her eyes and leaned into the touch. Lapis’s hands, her weight, and the added weight of the saddle were soothing. Grounding. Often when Jasper had trouble sleeping, Lapis would stretch herself over Jasper’s backside, and just like that they would both fall asleep. Jasper could feel the pull of sleep and quickly opened her eyes. And then Lapis dismounted, her heels making a muffled thudding sound on the carpet. She continued to stroke Jasper and pressed herself against her side. This time she was the one closing her eyes, breathing deeply, taking in the moment.

She gave Jasper a congratulatory pat on the hip then set to work on releasing the tack from Jasper’s body. She started with the saddle, pulling through the belt loops. When she lifted the saddle from Jasper’s back, Jasper groaned and stretched, her back muscles bulging, shining with sweat. Lapis bit her bottom lip, holding back, keeping character. Perhaps some riders let their stallions take them, but that was not what they had negotiated.

After the equipment was removed, Lapis gave Jasper time to relax and for herself to regain footing in her role. Jasper helped remind her, snorting and tossing her head. She did not like to stay in one place.

Lapis laughed and stroked her forehead, “I’m sorry. Am I keeping you from your treat?” The bit was no longer in Jasper’s mouth. Lapis lead her by placing a hand on her neck and walking in front of her.

They stopped in front of a table bearing apples and long slivers of carrots. Most horses liked sugar cubes as a reward, but Jasper had never taken to them. That was just as well. She was a sport horse, every part of her training focused on strength building and agility, with just a touch of grace. Lapis was proud of how well Jasper took to the training regimen. She was a real natural.

Often Lapis would draw her mouth close to Jasper’s ear and talk about showing her off. Lapis was expecting company in a few months-- her only friend from her hometown, who also shared their predilection towards BDSM. Lapis had on multiple occasions stroked Jasper’s long mane and talked about her friend and how she would parade Jasper around the room under their scrutinizing gaze.

“They are a tough judge. But I know you can do it-- because I’m tougher.”

Jasper was not very hungry and ate only a few carrot sticks. With her thumb, Lapis stroked Jasper’s crooked nose. 

They sat down and Lapis brushed and braided her hair. Jasper had long lost track of time. She had lost her sense of humanity the moment Lapis had dressed her in the tack equipment and called her by her pony name. Now that the equipment was off, Jasper was coming back into her human skin. It came back one layer at a time as Lapis redressed her in her jersey tank top and shorts.

“How was that?” Lapis asked, checking in.

“Neigh,” Jasper replied and then, seeing the disbelief cross Lapis’s face, laughed and said, “--Kidding. I’m all right. You?”

“Tired,” Lapis admitted.

“Says the woman who rode on my back all around the room for the past half hour,” Jasper quipped with pretend sarcasm, and then, before Lapis could take it seriously, she hefted her in her arms and said, “I don’t mind.” 

Within moments Lapis fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow my blog at http://tat-buns.tumblr.com/ for updates on my other little writing projects. Thank you!

**Author's Note:**

> Follow my blog at http://tat-buns.tumblr.com/ for updates on my other little writing projects. Thank you!


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